The University of Sheffield
The School of Clinical Dentistry

Professor Alison Loescher BDS, PhD, MBChB, FDS RCS,

Professor of Oral Surgery

Tel:     +44 (0) 114 271 7849
Fax:    +44 (0) 114 271 7863
Email:  a.loescher@sheffield.ac.uk

Administrative Roles in School/Department

Head of the Academic Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Medicine 2009-to date

Dental School Management Team 2009-to date

Clinical lead for Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Radiology (Charles Clifford Dental Hospital) 2011-to date

Deputy Clinical Director Charles Clifford Dental Hospital 2012

National Administrative Roles

Chair of the Examiners for the tri-collegiate Membership in Oral Surgery examination, Royal College of Surgeons England.

Clinical and Research Interests

In 2003 I initiated a service to manage patients with chronic orofacial pain. The service is now well established and receives referrals from a wide geographic area, including many tertiary referrals. The rarer causes of facial pain are frequently seen within the clinic making it a valuable teaching clinic for both medical and dental higher surgical trainees and dental undergraduate students. In the development of the facial pain service, links have been made with colleagues in neurosurgery, neuromedicine and palliative care. Weekly clinics, held with neurosurgery, review patients with trigeminal neuralgia requiring surgical treatment. This clinical interest in facial pain forms the basis for some of the research projects that are currently being undertaken.

Recently Published Papers

  1. Increased cutaneous NGF and CGRP-labelled trkA-positive intra-epidermal nerve fibres in rat diabetic skin. Evans L, Andrew D, Robinson P, Boissonade F, Loescher A. Neurosci Lett. 506(1):59-63 (2012).
  2. Stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia: outcomes and complications. Loescher AR, Radatz M, Kemeny A, Rowe J. Br J Neurosurg (2011)
  3. Histomorphometric changes in repaired mouse sciatic nerves are unaffected by the application of a scar-reducing agent. Ngeow WC, Atkins S, Morgan CR, Metcalfe AD, Boissonade FM, Loescher AR, Robinson PP. J Anat. 638-45 (2011)
  4. The effect of Mannose-6-Phosphate on recovery after sciatic nerve repair. Ngeow WC, Atkins S, Morgan CR, Metcalfe AD, Boissonade FM, Loescher AR, Robinson PP. Brain Res. 2011 Jun 7;1394:40-8.
  5. A comparison between the effects of three potential scar-reducing agents applied at a site of sciatic nerve repair. Ngeow WC, Atkins S, Morgan CR, Metcalfe AD, Boissonade FM, Loescher AR, Robinson PP. Neuroscience. 2011 May 5;181:271-7.
  6. Effect of SB-750364, a specific TRPV1 receptor antagonist, on injury induced ectopic discharge in the lingual nerve. Biggs JE, Yates JM, Loescher AR, Clayton NM, Robinson PP, Boissonade F. Neurosci Lett 443; 41-45 (2008)
  7. P2X(3) expression is not altered by lingual nerve injury . Biggs JE, Yates JM, Loescher AR, Clayton NM, Robinson PP, Boissonade F. Neurosci Lett 441; 110-114 (2008)
  8. Changes in vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) expression following lingual nerve injury. Biggs JE, Yates JM, Loescher AR, Clayton NM, Boissonade F, Robinson PP. Eur J Pain 11; 192-201 (2007)
  9. Inflammatory cell accumulation in traumatic neuromas of the human lingual nerve. Vora AR, Bodell SM, Loescher AR, Smith KG, Robinson PP, Boissonade FM. Arch Oral Biol. 52; 74-82 (2007).

Research Student

Mark Barber
Sarah Dobbs