Dr Vitor CM Neves

BDS, MSc, MPerio (RCSEn), PhD

School of Clinical Dentistry

Senior Clinical Lecturer

Honorary Consultant in Periodontology

v.neves@sheffield.ac.uk

Room D37, 19 Claremont Crescent

Full contact details

Dr Vitor CM Neves
School of Clinical Dentistry
Room D37
19 Claremont Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2TA

Profile

Vitor is a specialist in Periodontics, with an MSc and PhD in Translational and Regenerative Dentistry. He is qualified in Brazil and the United Kingdom and has more than a decade of experience in clinical and research settings.

Vitor is the new director of the postgraduate program in Periodontics and leads a lab focusing on developing research about stem cells, ageing and molecular biology in dentistry. In addition, Vitor is an Honorary Consultant in Periodontics at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital.

Since his arrival in the United Kingdom (2013), Vitor acquired his MSc in Regenerative Dentistry. He subsequently completed his PhD in Regenerative and Translational Dentistry at King’s College London, under the supervision of Professor Paul Sharpe. During his PhD project, he developed a self-healing dental technique based on genetic modulation and the activation of stem cells, which earned him various national and international awards.

After his PhD, he was awarded an NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureship in Periodontics at the Guy’s and St Thomas Trust, where he trained to become a specialist dentist and simultaneously developed his periodontal research focusing on ageing and glucose metabolism. His research won the Sir Wilfred Fish Prize, the most prestigious award of the British Society of Periodontology.

Vitor believes that Dentistry needs to evolve beyond the technical treatments we currently do. His research findings could shift the way dentistry is done in the future whereby patients will receive more biologically-centered approaches, potentially making current strategies obsolete. His ambition is to shape the future of Dentistry via molecular biology, genetics and epigenetics, creating affordable, industry-viable products for the general public, and helping patients to naturally grow and repair their oral tissues and organs.

Publications

Journal articles

Neves VCM, Savchenko V, Daly J & Sharpe P (2024) Periodontal ageing and its management via pharmacological glucose modulation. Frontiers in Dental Medicine, 5. View this article in WRRO
Neves VCM, Pugh J & Savulescu J (2021) Beyond oral hygiene, are capacity-altering, biologically based interventions within the moral domain of dentistry?. British Dental Journal, 231(5), 277-280.
Birjandi AA, Neves VCM & Sharpe P (2021) Advances in regenerative dentistry; building with biology. Regenerative Medicine, 16(4), 343-345.
Neves VCM (2019) A new perspective to push forward a stagnated dental world. British Dental Journal, 227(2), 85-87.
Angelova Volponi A, Zaugg LK, Neves V, Liu Y & Sharpe PT (2018) Tooth Repair and Regeneration. Current Oral Health Reports, 5(4), 295-303.
Neves VCM & Sharpe PT (2018) Regulation of Reactionary Dentine Formation. Journal of Dental Research, 97(4), 416-422.
Neves VCM, Satie Okajima L, Elbahtety E, Joseph S, Daly J, Menon A, Fan D, Volkyte A, Mainas G, Fung K , Dhami P et al () Repurposing Metformin for periodontal disease management as a form of oral-systemic preventive medicine. Journal of Translational Medicine, 21(1).
Neves VCM, Yianni V & Sharpe PT () Macrophage modulation of dental pulp stem cell activity during tertiary dentinogenesis. Scientific Reports, 10(1).
Krivanek J, Soldatov RA, Kastriti ME, Chontorotzea T, Herdina AN, Petersen J, Szarowska B, Landova M, Matejova VK, Holla LI , Kuchler U et al () Dental cell type atlas reveals stem and differentiated cell types in mouse and human teeth. Nature Communications, 11(1).
Babb R, Chandrasekaran D, Carvalho Moreno Neves V & Sharpe PT () Axin2-expressing cells differentiate into reparative odontoblasts via autocrine Wnt/β-catenin signaling in response to tooth damage. Scientific Reports, 7(1).
Neves VCM, Babb R, Chandrasekaran D & Sharpe PT () Promotion of natural tooth repair by small molecule GSK3 antagonists. Scientific Reports, 7(1).

Research group

PhD opportunities

If you are interested in any of these topics, contact Dr Neves via email (see above).

Stem Cell Biology in Regenerative Dentistry

Explore the potential of stem cells to revolutionize dental care by driving natural tissue regeneration and repair. Under the supervision of Dr. Neves, you will investigate molecular and genetic mechanisms to activate endogenous stem cells for self-healing dental therapies.

Endodontics: Molecular and Cellular Regeneration

Join a pioneering project focused on biologically enhancing dental pulp-related treatments through stem cell activation and genetic modulation. This PhD will blend pre-clinical Endodontics with cutting-edge regenerative biology to redefine future clinical therapeutic outcomes.

Periodontics: Ageing, Metabolism and Regeneration

Delve into the molecular biology of periodontal diseases with a focus on ageing and glucose metabolism. Under Dr. Neves’ expert supervision, this PhD offers the opportunity to develop transformative therapies for long-term periodontal health.

Alveolar Bone Regeneration and Tissue Engineering

This project will explore biological and mechanical pathways to stimulate alveolar bone regeneration. You will contribute to innovative strategies aimed at replacing current grafting techniques with biologically-driven regeneration.

Computational Biology for Oral Regeneration

Harness computational biology to decode complex molecular networks involved in oral tissue regeneration and ageing. This PhD will integrate bioinformatics, systems biology, and AI tools to identify therapeutic targets and optimize regenerative strategies in dentistry.