Section for Oral Health

Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Listl

Stefan Listl is Professor of Translational Health Economics and Director of the Oral Health Section at Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. He also is Adjunct Professor at Radboud University (Netherlands) and the University of Pennsylvania (USA).

Stefan has been Principal Investigator on several research grants, supported by funding organizations such as the EU and NIH. Stefan currently serves as coordinating PI for the Horizon Europe projects DELIVER (Deliberative Improvement of Oral Care Quality) and PRUDENT (Prioritization, Incentives and Resource Use for Sustainable Dentistry). He also coordinates the German Innovation Fund projects Paro-ComPas and DigIn2Perio which seek to enhance patient empowerment and medical-dental integration.

Stefan is a member of the WHO Working Group for Prioritization of Cost-Efficient Oral Health Interventions and previously served on the Steering Committee for WHO’s Global Oral Health Status Report. He is a member of the Lancet Oral Health Commission and the Lancet Commission on the European Health Union. Stefan contributed to the FDI World Dental Federation Vision 2030 Report, the World Economic Forum White Paper on Oral Health, the NIH Report on Oral Health in America, and Harvard University’s Malaysia Health Systems Project.

Research areas

Stefan’s research focuses on health economics and improvement science with particular emphasis on identifying and implementing better governance, financial, and healthcare delivery arrangements to optimize people’s oral and general health, both globally and locally.

Academic Background

  • 2009-12: Habilitation, Heidelberg University, Germany
  • 2009-11: Ph.D. Economics (Dr.rer.pol.), University of Mannheim, Germany
  • 2007-09: Doctorate in dental medicine (Dr.med.dent.), University of Regensburg, Germany
  • 2006-07: M.Sc. Health Economics, University of York, UK
  • 2003-09: M.A. Economics (Diplom Volkswirtschaftslehre), University of Regensburg, Germany
  • 2002-08: D.M.D. (Staatsexamen Zahnmedizin), University of Regensburg, Germany

Publications (selection)

  • Listl S, Galloway J, Mossey P, Marcenes W. Global economic impact of dental diseases. Journal of Dental Research. 2015;94: 1355-1361.
  • Chalkley M, Listl S. First do no harm – The impact of financial incentives on dental X-rays. Journal of Health Economics. 2018 Mar;58:1-9.
  • Watt RG, Daly B, Allison P, Macpherson LMD, Venturelli R, Listl S, Weyant RJ, Mathur MR, Guarnizo-Herreño CC, Celeste RK, Peres MA, Kearns C, Benzian H. Ending the neglect of global oral health: time for radical action. Lancet. 2019 Jul 20;394(10194):261-272.
  • Peres MA, Macpherson LMD, Weyant RJ, Daly B, Venturelli R, Mathur MR, Listl S, Celeste RK, Guarnizo-Herreño CC, Kearns C, Benzian H, Allison P, Watt RG. Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet. 2019 Jul 20;394(10194):249-260.
  • Matsuyama, Y., Jürges, H., Listl, S.. The causal effect of education on tooth loss: evidence from UK schooling reforms. American Journal of Epidemiology 2021; 188(1): 87-95.
  • Ahern S, Woods N, Kalmus O, Birch S, Listl S. Needs-based planning for the oral health workforce – development and application of a simulation model. Human Resources for Health. 2019 Jul 15;17(1):55.
  • Listl S, Grytten JI, Birch S. What is health economics? Community Dental Health. 2019 Nov 28;36(4):262-274.
  • Gabel F, Kalmus O, Rosing K, Trescher AL, Listl S. Implementation of altered provider incentives for a more individual-risk-based assignment of dental recall intervals: evidence from a health systems reform in Denmark. Health Economics. 2020;29(4):475-488.
  • Trescher AL, Listl S, van der Galien O; ADVOCATE Consortium, Gabel F, Kalmus O. Once bitten, twice shy? Lessons learned from an experiment to liberalize price regulations for dental care. European Journal of Health Economics 2020 Apr;21(3):425-436.
  • Listl S, Quiñonez C, Vujicic M. Including oral diseases and conditions in universal health coverage. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2021; 99(6):407.
  • Jevdjevic M, Wijn SRW, Trescher AL, Nair R, Rovers M, Listl S. Front-of-Package Food Labeling to Reduce Caries: Economic Evaluation. Journal of Dental Research. 2021 May;100(5):472-478.
  • Matsuyama Y, Jürges H, Dewey M, Listl S. Causal effect of tooth loss on depression: evidence from a population-wide natural experiment in the USA. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2021 May 25;30:e38
  • Listl S, Lavis JN, Cohen LK, Mathur MR. Engaging citizens to improve service provision for oral health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2022; 100: 294-294A.
  • Kalmus O, Smits K, Seitz M, Haux C, Robra BP, Listl S. Evaluation of a Digital Decision Support System to Integrate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Periodontitis Care: Case-Vignette Study in Simulated Environments. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25:e46381. Listl S, Baltussen R, Carrasco-Labra A, Carrer FC, Lavis JN. Evidence-Informed Oral Health Policy Making: Opportunities and Challenges. Journal of Dental Research 2023;102(12):1293-1302.

Current projects

  • Paro-ComPas: Patient Companion für die Parodontitis-Versorgung (2022-2025)
    • Funding organization: Innovation Fund Germany (G-BA)

  • DigIn2Perio: Digital Integrierte Versorgung von Diabetes Typ 2 und Parodontitis (2022-2026)
    • Funding organization: Innovation Fund Germany (G-BA)

  • DELIVER: DELiberative ImproVEment of oRal care quality (2022-2026)
    • Funding organization: EU Commission Horizon Europe

  • Cost-effectiveness of cleft lip and palate care in India (substudy of NAMUC project) (2022-2026)
    • Funding organization: Wellcome Trust

  • PRUDENT: Prioritization, Incentives and Resource Use for Sustainable Dentistry (2023-2027)
    • Funding organization: EU Commission Horizon Europe

  • DESTRESS: timely detection and early intervention on stress signals to promote organizational and individual resilience (2024-2032)
    • Funding organization: Dutch Research Council (NWO)

Completed projects

  • Dental Coverage Transitions, Utilization & Retirement (2012-2013)
    • Funding organization: NIH/NIDCR

  • ADVOCATE: Added Value for Oral Care (2015-2019)
    • Funding organization: EU Commission Horizon 2020

  • Dent@Prevent (2017-2020)
    • Funding organization: Innovation Fund Germany (G-BA)

  • Economic evaluation of WASH (2021-2022)
    • Funding organization: GIZ: German Agency for International Cooperation

  • Financial barriers in access to dental care in the Netherlands (2022-2023)
    • Funding organization: VWS – Dutch Ministry of Health