Rutger Matthes

Rutger Matthes serves as a Research Associate within the Department of Conservative Dentistry, Periodontology and Endodontology at the University of Greifswald's Institute Center for Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine. Since joining in 2013, he has contributed to the PlasmaDent research group under Prof. Kocher, focusing on novel strategies to combat biofilm-related infections in dental implants and oral care.

His academic qualifications include:

• Doctorate (2013) from the University of Greifswald on antimicrobial plasma applications for biofilm decontamination in chronic wounds
• Specialist certification in Toxicology and Environmental Protection (2016) from the University of Leipzig

Matthes' primary research interests span microbiology, microbial biofilms, and peri-implant infections, with technical expertise in fluorescence microscopy. His investigations extend to tissue compatibility of dental materials and plasma technologies, alongside ecotoxicological assessments of chemical and physical agents. Current projects emphasize enzymatic and physical methods for biofilm disruption to enhance implant longevity and prevent oral diseases.

He secured ERDF funding for laboratory equipment (spectrophotometer) to support his research on microbial decontamination. Matthes actively participates in the PlasmaDent team's development of water jet systems, blue-wave lasers, and cold plasma treatments for dental applications, aiming to improve clinical outcomes in implant dentistry.