Stephen J. Challacombe

Stephen James Challacombe (born April 1946) is professor of oral medicine at King's College in London, best known for research in oromucosal immunology and for developing the Challacombe scale for measuring the extent of dryness of the mouth. He led the team that laid out research challenges of global health inequalities and oral health, particularly relating to the oral manifestations of HIV.

Challacombe was the Martin Rushton Professor of Oral Medicine at King's College, London and the University of London, a consultant in diagnostic microbiology and immunology to Guys & St Thomas Hospitals, and Dean for external affairs at King's College London Health Schools.

He has been an author, co-author, editor and co-editor of a number of publications and a recipient of several awards and fellowships. Medical societies of which he has been president include the International Association for Dental Research, British Society for Oral and Dental Research, European Association of Oral Medicine and the Hunterian Society, and the world's oldest rugby club, Guy's Hospital RFC.

Early life Stephen Challacombe was born in April 1946. He attended Culford School, where he played sports including rugby.

Mucosal immunology Challacombe initially worked in the field of immunology. In 1978, he was appointed assistant professor and senior research fellow in the Department of Immunology at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, and completed the fellowship in 1979.

From 1984 to 2011, Challacombe was consultant in diagnostic microbiology and immunology to Guys & St Thomas Hospitals.

Later career Challacombe was appointed Director of External Strategy at the Dental Institute in 2005 and a year later became Dean for King's College London KCL External Affairs, holding both posts until 2011.

His experience has also included coordinating conferences and university departments, managing grants, finances and research, and teaching. and has become widely used as a medical tool for assessing and monitoring dry mouth.

Global oral health Challacombe became involved in clinical research in oral HIV and AIDS, and has chaired international workshops on the oral manifestations of HIV infection in the UK, South Africa, Thailand, China, and India. In 1991 and 1993, he contributed to the consensus meeting on the classification of oral lesions in HIV. With regards to clinical signs in the mouth in AIDS, he identified a significant role for dentists. as a member of The Kings Centre for Global Health. and highlighted the role of saliva in the transmission of the disease.

History of medicine As a historian of medicine, his lectures have included a series on the London medical students at Belsen.

Awards and honours Awards Challacombe is a recipient of a number of awards including: Colgate (Hatton) Research Prize, British Division, IADR (1977) Distinguished Alumni Award of the Mayo Clinic (2017).

Chairmanships He was chairman of: International steering committee on Oral Health & Disease in AIDS (2000–17) Royal College of Surgeons of England

Writing He has been an author, co-author, editor and co-editor of a number of publications including nine books, over 240 peer-reviewed research papers and 160 other works on various aspects of oral and maxillofacial medicine. These have included publications on induction of secretory immune responses, oral tolerance and on immunological aspects of the oral cavity. His interest on mucosal immunity in HIV and how HIV can present with signs in the mouth, has resulted in over 25 research articles.

Selected publications

Articles

"Oral mucosal lesions : what the general practitioner needs to know", Wynnum, Qld (2009), DVD-ROM

. (With P. Das)

Books Advances in Mucosal Immunology : Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress of Mucosal Immunology, co-authored with Thomas T MacDonald, Paul W Bland, Christopher R Stokes, Richard V Heatley, Allan Mcl Mowat Dordrecht, Springer Netherlands, (1990), , Food allergy, co-authored with Jonathan Brostoff, Saunders, (1998), Clinics in immunology and allergy, v. 2, no. 1. Food Allergy and Intolerance, co-authored with Jonathan Brostoff, Saunders (2002) Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine: The Basis of Diagnosis and Treatment, Churchill Livingstone