Mutlu Özcan (b. 17 June 1969) is a Turkish dentist and academic specializing in reconstructive dentistry, dental biomaterials, and adhesive dentistry. He is recognized for his scientific research based on clinical and translational studies and currently serves as Director of the Centre for Dental Medicine at the University of Zurich.

Mutlu Özcan was born on 17 June 1969. He completed his undergraduate dental education in 1993 at the Faculty of Dentistry, Marmara University. In 1999, he earned the Dr. med. dent. degree from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Cologne in Germany.

Between 2001 and 2002, he served as a visiting researcher at the Department of Prosthodontics and Biomaterials at Turku University in Finland. In 2003, he obtained his PhD in medical sciences from the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

In 2007, Mutlu Özcan was appointed professor in Clinical Dental Biomaterials at the Medical Centre of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. From 2009 to 2023, he served as Head of the Division of Dental Biomaterials within the Clinic of Reconstructive Dentistry at the University of Zurich Centre for Dental Medicine.

Between 2020 and 2023, he held the position of Director a.i. and professor at the Clinic of Masticatory Disorders at the same university. Since 2023, he has been serving as Head of the Clinic of Masticatory Disorders and Dental Biomaterials.

Between 2023 and 2024, he temporarily assumed the role of Director of Financial Affairs (Director / CFO a.i.) at the University of Zurich Centre for Dental Medicine. Since 2023, he has been serving as Director of the Centre for Dental Medicine at the same institution.

Mutlu Özcan’s scientific research focuses on reconstructive dentistry, dental biomaterials, high-performance ceramic and zirconia-based restorative materials, resin cements, adhesive systems, composite resins, and temporomandibular joint disorders.

He has authored numerous pioneering studies evaluating the surface properties, mechanical strength, and clinical performance of dental materials using translational and clinical research approaches. His research also includes investigations into the clinical applications of digital dentistry technologies.

Mutlu Özcan is the author of more than 950 peer-reviewed scientific and clinical articles. The majority of his publications are indexed in the ISI Web of Science, and his h-index is reported to be in the range of 103–108. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Prosthetic and Restorative Dentistry and Frontiers in Dentistry: Reconstructive Dentistry, and is a member of the editorial boards of numerous international scientific journals.

Mutlu Özcan is recognized as a prosthodontic specialist by the European Prosthodontic Association (EPA) and has served as Honorary Secretary of the EPA. He has held the presidency of the International Academy of Adhesive Dentistry (IAAD) and is a member of the Dental Materials Group (DMG) and the Clinical and Translational Science Network (CTSN) within the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). He also holds academic and professional honors conferred by the Academy of Dental Materials, the International College of Dentistry, the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow (Fellow in Dental Surgery – FDS RCPS), and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Fellow in Dental Surgery – FRCSEd).

Mutlu Özcan has been awarded honorary professorships at several international universities, including São Paulo State University (Brazil), the University of Florida (USA), the University of Hong Kong (China), and Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), in recognition of his international academic contributions.

In 2018, he was awarded the IADR Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award by the International Association for Dental Research. In the same year, he received the title of Dr. honoris causa in Romania; in 2025, he was honored with the same title by İstinye University in Türkiye. In 2025, he was awarded the TÜBA International Academy Award in the field of Health and Life Sciences, in recognition of his pioneering work in high-performance dental ceramics and digital dentistry.