It is the primary aim of this international journal to be a multidisciplinary forum for publications from all fields of oral medicine. Especially, it is intended to create a connection between basic and clinical sciences and thus promote the exchange of information and the advancement of oral medicine for the benefit of patients. Clinical Oral Investigations publishes original scientific articles and invited reviews which provide an international readership with up-to-date results of basic and clinical studies in the field of oral and maxillofacial science and medicine and aims to clarify the relevance of these results for a modern practice. Covered topics are: Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Prosthetics and Restorative Dentistry, Operative Dentistry, Endodontics, Periodontology, Orthodontics, Dental Materials Science, Clinical Trials, Epidemiology, Pedodontics, Oral Implant, Preventive Dentistiry, Oral Pathology, Oral Basic Sciences. The submission of Case Reports is generally discouraged. Founded in 1997 Founding Editors: G. Schmalz, W. Geurtsen, M. Goldberg, J. Gwinnett, E. Hjörting-Hansen, N. Lang, D. van Steenberghe .