Contributors: Many thanks to Stephanie Anderson, Sarah Marinos, Gina Flaxman, Anthony Vanzella, Claudia Hooper, Lauren Yee, Kade Anderson, Georgia Coon, Meegan Waugh and Tim Sharp.
Note: For space and readability, only degrees conferred by the University of Melbourne are listed beside the names of alumni in this publication.
Cover image: Award-winning early-career researcher Bree Jones and Brian and Ann Dooley Early Career Research Fellowship recipient Dr Mohammed Al-baadani in the completed Brian and Ann Dooley Preclinical Laboratory, Melbourne Dental School.
Cover photography: Peter Casamento.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we work, learn and live. We pay respect to Elders past, present and future, and acknowledge the importance of Indigenous knowledge in the Academy.
Changes and new beginnings
In September, I stepped into a new role as Pro ViceChancellor (Research Collaboration) and away from my position as Head of School.
Leaving a role that I’ve cherished deeply and a place that has felt like home, is not easy. I look back on the past four and a half years with immense pride in our collective accomplishments — and they have been collective accomplishments. From increasing promotions year on year at all levels and wider research grant success, especially with Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), to strengthening our foundation and elevating our world rankings, from redesigning our curriculum and navigating challenges of COVID-19, to developing a governance structure that aligns with the Faculty, it has been an extraordinary journey.
I sincerely thank each and every one of you for placing your trust in me as your Head of School. Though my role is evolving, my commitment to Melbourne Dental School and this Faculty remains steadfast.
Throughout my academic career, I have been an interdisciplinary researcher, working with engineers, cell biologists, pharmacists, medics, nurses, dentists and ethicists. Tissue engineering and regenerative biology is a truly collaborative field.
“While I now have a new focus, my entire career has been within dental and oral health and my research group remains in Melbourne Dental School.”
Before becoming Head of Melbourne Dental School in 2020, and before my role as Dean of the School of Dentistry at Cardiff University, I was Director of the Cardiff Institute for Tissue Engineering and Repair — an interdisciplinary research institute — and I am very excited to return to the world of broad research, collaboration, building networks and helping people take their research into wide domains and have impact.
In this new role I will provide academic leadership in designing and guiding the implementation of collaborative arrangements with organisations that enhance the University’s ability to sustain research quality and impact. I will also be responsible for strategic leadership of how the whole University grows its collaborative and interdisciplinary research, building long-term sustainable partnerships with academia, industry, commercial companies and the not-for-profit sector across Victoria, Australia and globally. This includes harnessing and implementing research collaborations and governance arrangements involving the University’s research precincts — covering organisations across the Biomedical precinct, Melbourne Connect, Fishermans Bend, Southbank, and the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery.
Professor Alastair J Sloan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Collaboration)
The University is supporting its people to realise the impact of their research by driving that research forward and getting it out into the real world.
I am honoured to be Vice-President of the International Association for Dental Research Australia and New Zealand Division, and having had 15 years of senior executive leadership in dental schools, I remain passionate about dental and oral health research and education, and always will be.
I am proud of a number of achievements within Melbourne Dental School during my time as Head of School. We have seen a 55 to 60 per cent increase in the number of successful promotions of women across the school. In 2023, Rita Hardiman (BSc Hons 1998, PhD 2010, GCertUniTeach 2018), now Interim Head of School; Samantha Byrne (PhD 2007, GCertUniTeach 2009), Director of Students and Education; Clare McNally( GCertUniTeach), Academic Lead for Assessment and Evaluation; and Catherine Butler (BSc 1989, BSc Hons 1993, PhD 2001) were all promoted to Associate Professor. Along with Dr Tami Yap (BDSc Hons 2006, DCD 2019, PhD 2019, GCertUniTeach 2021), a Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology and Impact Lead for the School, and Dr Mihiri Silva (BDSc 2004, MDSc 2012, DCD 2013, PhD 2019), Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry, Director of Graduate Research, and recently appointed Interim Director of Research, these women are role models for others coming through the School.
This year our School was placed in the top 25 in the QS World University Rankings for dentistry and we have also returned to our position as Australia’s leading dental school. We have been more open about the breadth and quality of our work and promoted our research widely and we need to stay on that trajectory.
It has been hugely rewarding to witness some great examples of high-impact and translational research, such as Associate Professor Roy Judge’s (MDSc 1997, PhD 2006) Rectangular Block Implant (RBI). Associate Professor Judge, Head of Prosthodontics, has a strong and diverse team of researchers, clinicians, bioscientists, microbiologists and material scientists supporting the development of the RBI and implant research generally. Very quickly, they have taken the RBI concept from the lab into clinic and discussions with industry.
Similarly, Dr Leanne Teoh’s (BDSc 2008, PhD 2021) MIMS Drugs4dent® medicine management and prescribing tool is one of the most innovative pieces of work I’ve seen in the past 20 years. Dr Teoh has taken her PhD project, identified a gap in the market and transformed her PhD research into a licensed product — I’ve not witnessed that rapid translation of research in my career before. It has been a pleasure to see Dr Teoh’s groundbreaking success.
Dr Tami Yap received a Dean’s Innovation Grant to help progress her MouthMap project, a digitally annotated screening tool that catches oral cancer in its early stages by monitoring changes in the mucosal tissues in the mouth. Dr Yap has grasped the translational impact agenda for the School with both hands, and her work and leadership in this space moves forward in leaps and bounds.
The School’s recent collaboration with Southern Dental Industries (SDI), a locally based specialist dental materials company that sells to more than 100 countries, is a cracking example of the impacts that emerge when you bring together business development partners and different faculties —Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) and Engineering and Information Technology with industry and support creative thinking. In the past six to 12 months, we have enjoyed focused discussions about future research projects, resulting in a number of innovative grants, PhDs and PhD scholarships, and the Business Development Partners from both faculties have worked together and with our researchers and industry partner to support these conversations and exciting proposals.
This year the School welcomed back Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft (BDSc 1994, MDSc 2000, PhD 2010) to the academic staff. We have also been able to attract Associate Professor Khaled Ahmed to Melbourne and both have taken on key leadership roles in the School. Their experience will help the School continue to develop.
I congratulate Associate Professor Rita Hardiman on her appointment as Interim Head of School. Rita is very much a leader who understands Melbourne Dental School and who is regarded with the greatest respect across the University. She is someone who trusts her instincts and her team and she will ensure the School grasps the opportunities arising from the University Research Strategy refresh. The School is in a strong position and will continue to look forward and be bold.
Finally, I thank all staff in the school and our alumni for their trust in me. It has been a genuine privilege to be the head of MDS. I won’t be too far away and look forward to continuing to work with many of you!
Thank you
Professor Alastair J Sloan Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Collaboration)
Welcome
From the Interim Head of School
Melbourne Dental School has been part of my life since the early 2000s, when I began my journey as a PhD and Honours student under the supervision of Professor John Clement, who held the inaugural Chair in Forensic Odontology.
So, I am excited and privileged to take on the role of Interim Head of School and I look forward to supporting our people and the many activities of the School.
In my time at the School, I’ve seen many advancements across different disciplines. Increasing recognition of the intimate connection between the mouth, oral cavity, other systems in our body and our general health has expanded our research and led to more interdisciplinary collaborations. There is certainly some important work happening within Melbourne Dental School.
I am often asked why, as an anatomist, I am based at the dental school. I work with bones, teeth and dental calculus and this school has the highest concentration of mineralised tissue samples, making it important for my research aims.
My research portfolio is broad but one of my key interests is the digital representation of mineralised tissues using microcomputed tomography — a very advanced form of high-resolution imaging — and other imaging techniques.
“I am passionate about developing interdisciplinary research that bridges biological anthropology and clinical perspectives and that answers different questions about bone and teeth ageing.”
Mainly, I am interested in how we can leverage mineralised tissues to provide information about life events, growth, development and health status. Mineralised tissues are the ideal tissues to examine when investigating these areas: they incorporate so much of our environment and activities in their structure. This research direction also relies heavily on collaboration with other disciplines such as clinicians, archaeologists and anthropologists. This is something I really enjoy, and consider important.
I am currently working on a major project based on the ‘Metro teeth’ discovered in 2018 during excavation work for the new Metro Tunnel. A collection of about 2500 teeth was discovered on two sites on Swanston Street. Those sites were the location of dental clinics in the late 1800s and early 1900s and most of the teeth were found in a collapsed drainpipe.
We’ve been working with historians to learn about Melbourne during that era and to find out more about what dentistry practices were like at that time. We will be creating a website for those interested in finding out more about the teeth and what we uncover.
I am also working on a research project looking at heavy metal accumulation in teeth through our lifetime and projects that determine how bones change as we age. They tend to deteriorate and finding out more about how bones change could one day lead to therapies that can arrest, reverse or prevent that deterioration.
Associate Professor Rita Hardiman, Interim Head of School
This research also has implications for how well implants can work in a person as they age.
Anatomy is my love but I am now looking through a different lens as Interim Head of School. My goal is to support the people we have within Melbourne Dental School and to ensure they have the opportunities and tools they need to excel at their passions. We are on a good trajectory and, together, we must maintain that momentum.
We are in the middle of a major curriculum review and my last act as Director of Research was to finalise our new research strategy. We exist as a School and University in a changing and dynamic landscape. We need to think about how we build sustainability into our activities and how we grow our impact, our people and their careers.
The new strategy has clear objectives to help us achieve this, like diversifying our funding sources, building our research capabilities, working more with partners and developing partnerships and research collaborations external to the dental school.
We are also finalising the terms of reference and role description for our new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — another important factor in advancing the School community.
As I begin this new role, I also aim to foster a nurturing environment where students have a say in the development of their learning, interaction and collaboration with the School. We want them to flourish and for our School to be a safe, inclusive and fulfilling place that offers support and opportunity.
Thank you
Associate Professor Rita Hardiman Interim Head of School
Developing a clinical decision tool for dentists
Dr Leanne Teoh’s PhD research has led to the successful commercialisation of a safe medicine management and prescribing tool, MIMS Drugs4dent®.
Working as both a pharmacist and dentist, Dr Leanne Teoh (BDSc 2008, PhD 2021) recognised there was no dental-specific resource to help dentists prescribe and manage medications safely at point-of-care.
“Dental patients can present at clinic with pre-existing conditions like diabetes and heart conditions or they might be pregnant or elderly,” says Dr Teoh.
“Many of them will already be taking medications which have the potential to interact with drugs prescribed by their dental practitioner, or medications that may affect the outcome of dental procedures. For example, some medications impact healing by causing immune suppression or increasing a patient’s risk of bleeding, and this needs to be considered before invasive dental procedures such as tooth removal.”
Focusing on this resource gap, Dr Teoh embarked on a PhD that researched dental prescribing practices and barriers to appropriate prescribing in Australia. She found dentists didn’t always feel confident understanding patient medications and how those medications could affect dental treatment.
Dr Teoh developed Drugs4dent® to close this information gap. She gathered input from around 50 dental practitioners and dental specialists during the testing and design process to ensure the digital tool was practical and relevant.
It is also designed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and improve dental guideline compliance. Antibiotics prescribed by dentists account for 10 per cent of all antibiotics prescribed worldwide, but up to 55 per cent of those medications are prescribed unnecessarily by dentists in Australia.
Supported by a Dean’s Innovation Grant and Early Career Researcher grant from the University of Melbourne and, more recently, an Investigator grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council, MIMS Drugs4dent® was launched in August 2024.
It is now available through MIMS, the leading supplier of medicines information to Australian healthcare professionals.
“All research within Melbourne Dental School can have impact on the profession in some way — impact takes different forms. It might be in the area of knowledge, policy, changing public debate or commercialisation and innovation. I’d encourage all PhD students to think about the potentially bigger implications of the work they do,” says Dr Teoh.
Dr Leanne Teoh
“When I started my PhD, I didn’t imagine that it would result in a commercial product but collaboration, support and the knowledge base I developed enabled commercialisation to occur. The past years have taken me on a very exciting and unexpected journey.”
AI-inspired research wins international recognition
Bree Jones is investigating how 3D images from intraoral scanners and AI technology can work together to spot early signs of dental disease and decay in children.
She is still in the early stages of her research career, but PhD candidate Bree Jones (BSc 2005, BOralHth 2008, MPH 2017, GCDT 2021) has already accumulated significant oral health experience in the clinic, classroom and research arena.
She has worked as an oral health therapist in public and private practice, lectured in Oral Health at Melbourne Dental School (MDS), mentored Bachelor of Oral Health students, and she will shortly complete her PhD.
“It has been serendipitous,” she says. “You pursue interests, meet people and opportunities come up. I love being able to talk with students and break down complex ideas into more straightforward concepts. I always want to maintain the teaching element, but I wanted to build my research profile too and then share those skills with other researchers and mentor them. We learn, then we share and bring everyone along on the way.”
Her PhD research investigates the validity of 3D images produced using handheld intraoral scanners to clinically detect early signs of dental decay in children. Bree is now taking her research a step further and investigating how AI can be used to analyse the images and detect dental decay.
This could improve access to dental assessments in children, and in clinical practice it may streamline workflows and ensure more cases of childhood dental decay and disease are spotted and treated early.
Bree has also received the 2024 International Association for Dental, Oral and Cranifocial Research Colgate Research in Prevention Travel Award.
Her oral health career began when she completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne while working parttime as a dental assistant.
“That’s where you see the problems are and realise solutions are needed,” says Bree. “You’re at the forefront of witnessing the issues, the need, the importance of outreach and screening, and of communicating key oral health messages to children and families.”
That clinical experience sparked an interest in oral health, especially in finding new ways to prevent oral disease in children. Bree completed a Bachelor of Oral Health and began tutoring Oral Health students at MDS. She then went on to manage Oral Health programs at Charles Sturt University, before returning to MDS as a coordinator and turning her attention to research.
Bree’s work is a part of a large collaborative research program led by her PhD supervisor, Dr Mihiri Silva (BDSc 2004, MDSc 2012, DCD 2013, PhD 2019), that spans MDS and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to understand disease patterns and prevent dental caries in early childhood. This requires the kind of data that is usually gathered in clinical examinations but this takes time and gathering enough data to compare is a logistical challenge.
Bree believes handheld intraoral scanners that scan the mouth and take thousands of images of teeth to produce an accurate 3D digital impression are an effective way to gather this data more easily.
“The next part of my research is looking at how we can advance this technology and train robust AI models to detect decay or disease. Could this technology be used to enhance disease surveillance in children?” she says.
Bree also believes in the power of mentoring. “At MDS, we’ve always had a strong group of academics who advocated for our program and the influence we can have in the workforce. We’ve got a lot of strong female leaders who allocate time to mentoring the next group. And then you do that yourself.”
Bree is a member of the Dental Diagnostics and Digital Dentistry group — part of the ITU/WHO/WIPO Global Initiative on AI for Health that is exploring artificial intelligence in health. She sees AI playing an increasing role in oral health.
“But AI models are only as good as the quality of the data that trains them, so we need to retain quality control over any data used in AI models — it needs to be validated and benchmarked. If AI is to become part of decision-making in clinical practice, we also need to ensure clinicians interact with AI ethically, responsibly and transparently,” Bree says.
“I’d love to build the literacy of MDS students and clinicians more broadly in working with this technology and to work with my colleagues to build national and international networks, so we can build a centre of research excellence focused on AI in dentistry. The outcomes could inform policy and guidelines, improve patient outcomes and have real impacts.”
Find out about research at MDS: dental.unimelb.edu.au/research
Bree Jones, Senior Lecturer in General Dentistry and PhD candidate
Putting the mouth back into the body
A greater focus on prevention and more government-funded dental services are key to improving the oral health of all Australians.
How can Australia’s future dental health system benefit more people? A new book, authored by Melbourne Dental School alumni, Dr Jamie Robertson (BA Hons OAM 1986, MA 1989, MPH 2009) and Dr John Rogers (PhD 2017), highlights the importance of planning and delivering a more equitable dental health system.
“Australia’s public dental system is a tattered safety net failing Australians on lower incomes, forcing them to face long years waiting for general care,” says Dr Rogers.
“Governments pay around two-thirds of other healthcare costs, mostly through Medicare, but they cover only 20 per cent of dental costs. While out-of-pocket expenses for general health costs are around a third of the total, out-of-pocket costs for dental are 80 per cent. It’s as though the mouth has been left out of the body.”
Looking Back Looking Forward was supported by the 2020 Dental Alumni Research Foundation Scholarship, Melbourne Dental School and the Victorian Branch of the Australian Dental Association. Referencing the World Health Organization 2022 global oral health strategy, the book recommends a greater focus on prevention and promotion.
“Prevention is less expensive in the longer term and is better for quality of life. Extending water fluoridation, introducing a national sugar beverages levy and creating programs that support improved nutrition and dental hygiene are potential solutions,” says Dr Rogers.
Dr Rogers and Dr Robertson also recommend improving access to oral healthcare by significantly increasing ongoing national government funding for public dental care, and a phased integration of basic dental care into Medicare.
Integrating oral health into relevant policies and public health programs, and including oral health in the remit of the Australian Centre for Disease Control, are also important measures.
Looking at the workforce, Dr Robertson says Australia needs to regularly review the most effective mix of oral health professionals to meet community needs.
“We have the technical capacity for amazing treatments to restore oral health, but we need to concentrate more on preventive measures — we don’t produce enough people who can prevent disease happening in the first place, such as oral health therapists and hygienists,” says Dr Robertson.
Improving oral health information systems that enhance surveillance and support evidence-based policy development, greater use of eHealth and regular oral health surveys to understand the state of Australia’s oral health are also important for the future.
“There is a need for increased funding for oral health research — currently less than 1 per cent of National Health and Medical Research Council funding goes to oral health. Disease in the mouth impacts the whole body and so we need more research in this area,” says Dr Rogers.
Download your copy of Looking Back Looking Forward
Dr Jamie Robertson (left) and Dr John Rogers at the book launch.
Implant innovation brings hope for hard-to-treat patients
University of Melbourne researchers have designed a unique implant to help the one in ten patients with missing teeth for whom a traditional dental implant doesn’t work.
The health impacts of missing teeth are often underestimated, yet the inability to chew food properly can lead to impaired digestion and poorer nutrition. Then there are the social costs, too, such as lack of selfesteem and embarrassment.
One in ten patients with missing teeth can’t be helped with a traditional dental implant, often because they don’t have enough healthy bone in their jaw due to trauma or disease like oral cancers.
But a team of University of Melbourne academics, dental practitioners and engineers, led by Associate Professor Roy Judge (MDSc Clinical-Coursework 1998, PhD 2006), Head of Prosthodontics at Melbourne Dental School, have designed a solution for these hard-to-treat patients.
“The people most likely to benefit are our older patients who have been missing teeth for an extended period of time,” says Associate Professor Judge. “This group is growing in size due to increased life expectancy in Australia and across the globe.”
The Rectangular Block Implant (RBI), developed by Associate Professor Judge, Associate Professor Joseph Palamara and Dr Tim Gazelakis, is the first solution to be designed and prototyped in Australia. It makes the best use of whatever bone volume a patient has remaining, minimises the risk to nerves and veins in the jaw, and maximises force distribution to give patients a better chewing experience.
“It is a unique design aimed at patients who otherwise would not be able to receive a dental implant without risky surgical procedures or unpredictable large-scale bone grafts,” says Associate Professor Judge.
Proof-of-concept human clinical trials have begun with successful outcomes so far. A recent Australian Education Accelerator Grant has enabled Associate Professor Judge and the team to move towards manufacturing the RBI to industry standard.
A series of global patents have been secured and the next phase will develop a multicentre, independent clinical trial.
An Innovation Grant will further the commercialisation and translation of the RBI and allow Associate Professor Judge to expand the research team.
Next steps include working on a grafting technique to support the implant, writing a training manual for dental clinicians to use in practice, and detecting ways to objectively measure how the dental implant is integrating into bone.
“We also want to train clinicians within Melbourne Dental School, as well as nationally and internationally, to use the Rectangular Block Implant and to know when to apply it,” says Associate Professor Judge.
“Having multiple insights and inputs from enthusiastic and smart people is key to getting to where we are today with the RBI — a team approach has driven this innovation.”
Associate Professor Roy Judge
Upskilling to care for the youngest patients
Future paediatric dentists are a core part of the team within the Royal Children’s Hospital’s dental clinic.
Working at the world-renowned Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Department of Dentistry gives paediatric dentistry students valuable real-life experience and enables them to be part of the team supporting children with complex dental problems.
Dr Mihiri Silva (BDSc 2004, MDSc 2012, DCD 2013, PhD 2019), Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry and a Consultant Paediatric Dentist at RCH, says the exposure that comes with working in the busy paediatric dental clinic means second- and third-year Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DCD) students are well placed for their future specialisation.
“Students spend a lot of time providing hands-on care by working as registrars and providing on-call and afterhours services at RCH — all while [being] supervised by specialist consultants,” says Dr Silva.
“In the course of their day they can see young patients with significant medical conditions, ranging from cardiac or respiratory conditions to bleeding disorders, diabetes, cancer and intellectual disabilities. Their dental problems can be quite complex.”
As the referral centre for the whole of Victoria, the RCH dental clinic also accepts emergency cases where children need urgent dental surgery because of injury or a life-threatening infection. DCD students often work with teams across the hospital to provide young patients with optimal care.
The hands-on, in-clinic experience is combined with seminars within the university and RCH. Impactful and quality research is also a component of the DCD program and connects students with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
Students can also combine their specialist degrees with graduate research.
“Students have researched the effects of antibiotics on teeth and teeth staining in childhood, diabetes and impacts on oral health and how to best manage and care for children with severe and life-threatening infections,” says Dr Silva.
PhD and former RCH resident Dr Rachelle Welti (BBiomed 2012, DDS 2016) says: “The DCD provides the opportunity to obtain first-hand experience managing medically complex children. Students provide multidisciplinary care, working alongside the child’s medical team, and the work is incredibly rewarding. The opportunity at MDS to do a PhD with specialty training means I can make an impact beyond my own patients, and improve paediatric dental care around the world.”
Dr Silva says: “The presence of the DCD students is critical to the service at RCH — they provide a lot of care to families with significant health concerns. They also come up with questions that matter to the patients they see and that encourages the dental department to review processes. They help shape the work that happens as the next generation of clinical leaders.”
Study with us: study.unimelb.edu.au/ find/courses/graduate/doctor-of-clinicaldentistry/
Dr Mihiri Silva, Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry
Taking on fast food marketing for better oral health outcomes
Inequity in oral health outcomes is a growing problem, and food plays a major role.
“We’ve known for a long time that social determinants drive health outcomes, and this is particularly so for dental diseases,” says Melbourne Dental School lecturer Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft (BDSc 1994, MDSc 2000, PhD 2010).
“Poor oral health is now probably one of the biggest — and perhaps visually most obvious — signs of poverty.”
Associate Professor Hopcraft says highsugar fast foods are a major culprit in poor oral health, and it’s not just the sugary drinks and lollies.
“There’s an assumption that it’s just sugary drinks and lollies, but the reality is that it’s all sorts of food and drink, because sugar is hidden everywhere. A Big Mac has 8 grams, or two teaspoons, of sugar and that amount has increased over the past decade,” he says.
“The average teenager consumes 82 grams (20 teaspoons) of added sugar each day — which is well above the limit recommended by the World Health Organization of 24 grams, or six teaspoons, to reduce the risk of tooth decay.”
According to Associate Professor Hopcraft, it’s crucial to understand how commercial factors contribute to the disparity in oral health outcomes.
“We see, for example, more fast food and convenience stores in areas of greater socio-economic disadvantage, but also that there are fewer dental practitioners in these same suburbs where there is a higher burden of disease.”
There’s growing emphasis in dental education on social responsibility and professionalism, driven by the Australian Dental Council’s recently developed competencies for newly graduating dental practitioners. Associate Professor Hopcraft says this is a positive development.
“It’s important for dentists and oral health therapists to educate their patients, particularly families with young children. Understanding how to look at a food label, helping people to understand how much sugar they are eating each day, and trying to stay below that six-teaspoon limit. It’s also important to spread that message to schools, kindergartens and other groups.”
Associate Professor Hopcraft acknowledges that given only half the Australian population visit a dental practitioner each year, tackling these issues at an individual level comes with challenges.
“The highest dental disease burden is in those community groups with the greatest socio-economic disadvantage, which is why population-level measures are so important. Tackling issues like marketing of food is critical. I believe that we all have a role in lending our voice to these sorts of activities if we are really going to make a difference.”
To that end, he works closely with Brands Off Our Kids, a campaign striving to limit the influence fast food advertisers have on young Australians. Some of Brands Off Our Kids’ aims include limiting unhealthy food marketing between 6am and 9.30pm, preventing processed food companies from targeting children and keeping public spaces free of unhealthy food marketing.
“I’ve been involved in advocacy and awareness raising for a while now, focusing particularly on the impacts of sugar on dental health. There is a lot of overlap with the advocacy around overweight/obesity and diabetes, and I felt it was important to add the dental voice too, which had been missing.”
Associate Professor Hopcraft says now is the right time for those in dentistry to step up and push for positive change.
“Recent events, including an Aged Care Royal Commission and Senate Inquiry into dental services, have placed oral health in the public spotlight. This presents a unique opportunity for members of the dental profession to advocate for the next big change — to expand Medicare to include more dental services.”
For more on this issue, visit matthopcraft.substack.com/podcast
Associate Professor Matt Hopcraft
From Manitoba to Melbourne
Dr Matthew Rykiss left Canada and enrolled at Melbourne Dental School (MDS) to fulfil his childhood ambition to become a dentist.
Now back home in Winnipeg, MDS has left a lasting impression on the way he practices.
Dr Matthew Rykiss (DDS 2014) was in Grade 3 when he knew he wanted to become a dentist. Perhaps that’s not surprising when one of his uncles was a dentist and the other was an orthodontist.
“From the age of 14 I worked for my uncle, the dentist, during summer holidays. I’d set up his procedures, sterilise equipment and watch him work and thought ‘I could do that’. I never veered from that path,” says Dr Rykiss.
After studying science at the University of Manitoba, that ‘path’ led Dr Rykiss from his home in Winnipeg to the Melbourne Dental School.
“I was researching dental schools in Canada and the US and preparing my applications, but at the same time my friend and I were planning a holiday to Australia. At 2 o’clock one morning we were talking about that trip when my friend asked if I could apply to any dental schools in Australia.
“I went online, found Melbourne Dental School and realised I had all the prerequisites. I read about the program and how wellrespected the school was, and it felt like destiny — I called the school straightaway,” he recalls.
Dr Rykiss discovered that the closing date to apply for the Doctor of Dental Surgery program had just passed that day in Australia, but thanks to international time zones, it hadn’t closed yet in Canada. He was permitted to submit a last-minute application and a few months later he was accepted and had to tell his girlfriend, now wife, and family that he was moving to Melbourne. His girlfriend joined him in Melbourne a year later.
Importantly, a reciprocal agreement between Canada and Australia meant Dr Rykiss could write his National Dental Examining Board of Canada exam and practise when he returned to Canada.
Dr Rykiss says studying at MDS lived up to his expectations and the school impacts how he practises every day in his own clinic in Winnipeg.
“MDS emphasised basing clinical decisions on what research shows while also being open-minded in clinical decision-making. We were encouraged to delve into why something is happening, to ask the right questions, to put patients at ease and to build trust,” he says.
“Our teachers created a positive atmosphere so we could become the best possible clinicians and enjoy practising. There are challenges every day in dentistry because you are constantly trying to relieve pain and not hurt people. ‘Painless and gentle’ is the motto in my practice and that came from what I learned at MDS.”
After graduating in 2014, Dr Rykiss worked in dental practices in Melbourne for three and a half years before returning to Canada. His cohort celebrates their 10th anniversary this year and Dr Rykiss is helping to organise a reunion in early 2025.
Of the approximately 80 people in his cohort, at least 20 were international students from other parts of Canada, the US, Korea and South-East Asia. Many of them have stayed connected and Dr Rykiss hopes as many of his fellow graduates as possible will make the pilgrimage to Melbourne to share their experiences since graduating.
“Some of the people I studied with are still my best friends,” he says.
“While I was studying at MDS, my girlfriend and I got married in Winnipeg and at least 12 people from my class and our friendship group travelled to Canada to be at our wedding. It probably set a record for the most Australians in Winnipeg at any one time!”
Stay in touch with your cohort. Update your details: alumni.unimelb.edu.au/alumni
Dr Matthew Rykiss
A curriculum redesign for today and tomorrow
Melbourne Dental School’s curriculum
review and redesign centres around building student skills and competency and providing quality patient care.
After a comprehensive review process that began in 2020, Melbourne Dental School’s (MDS) new curriculum rolled out this year, with extensive input from MDS staff and students.
It also incorporates the updated Australian Dental Council (ADC) Professional Competencies of the New Qualified Dental Practitioner that outline the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attributes expected of dental practitioners upon graduation from an ADC-accredited program.
Associate Professor Samantha Byrne (PhD 2006, GCertUniTeach 2009), Director of Students and Education at Melbourne Dental School, says the new curriculum embraces the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Advancing Health 2030 strategy and its principles — Collaborate + Innovate + Nurture = Impact.
“The new curriculum evolved from the experiences of students and educators and we also worked with Dental Health Services Victoria to review data about the patient experience. Clinicians who work with us as clinical educators also provided feedback around advances in dentistry that we needed to address,” says Associate Professor Byrne.
Some key enhancements are the approach to formal learning around professional practice, which includes areas such as communication, leadership, critical thinking and professionalism. Previously covered in the first year and then only touched on during the rest of the program, a professional practice subject is now formally established throughout the curriculum.
“We will provide more spaces for students to learn how to care for and develop themselves, and to care for their patients and the planet,” says Associate Professor Byrne.
For the first time, MDS students learn about sustainability in dental health and practice and the curriculum places greater emphasis on digital health.
“There is also more emphasis on casebased learning, such as in the field of special needs dentistry. So, students learn about diseases and conditions patients may present with and how this might influence how they obtain consent from a patient and communicate with them,” says Associate Professor Byrne.
MDS is working closely with the university’s Collaborative Practice Centre (CPC) to ensure the curriculum develops practitioners with both individual and team skills to contribute to the more collaborative health workforce of the future.
This collaborative workforce can be more supportive of one another and the communities they serve. It can also be more responsive to challenges like climate change and innovations like assistive technologies.
The CPC is a catalyst for collaborative healthcare practice and supports current and future practitioners to deliver person-centred care and improved health outcomes. It brings learners from across the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences together to learn about, from and with one another, focusing on developing their complementary, common and team skills. It fosters a collaborative curriculum, authentic learning, integrated health education networks, pioneering collaborative practice standards and research excellence.
“Whether you are studying to be a dentist, speech pathologist or physiotherapist, you need to learn things like cultural safety, ethics, research skills and communication. The CPC seeks out and promotes the natural opportunities for students across the MDHS faculty to develop these types of knowledge and skills together” says Associate Professor Byrne.
Although the new curriculum is in practice, Associate Professor Byrne says an ongoing process of review and refinement is vital.
“We’re always looking at how to improve and move forward in the best interests of our students and the communities they will care for,” she says.
“We want to support graduates who understand the latest technology and who are good at the technical aspects of dentistry but who are also compassionate, ready for the oral health workforce and ready to care.”
Learn more about the Collaborative Practice Centre: mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/ CPC4Health
Associate Professor Samantha Byrne
Delivering culturally safe dental care
Eliza Collins is passionate about providing inclusive and comfortable spaces and care for Indigenous communities.
Helping to build dental practices where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel safe, respected and empowered to take care of their oral health is the focus of Eliza Collins’s (BOralHlth Hons 2022) research.
In 2023, Eliza won a Rowden White Scholarship to support her PhD research into culturally safe dental care delivery. She is currently conducting a series of yarning groups around Victoria and North-East Arnhem Land to uncover the elements that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities believe are essential to culturally safe dental care.
It was a placement to North-East Arnhem Land during her final year of university that set Eliza on her chosen path.
“I thought that, as a profession, we could do a better job,” says Eliza.
After graduating as an oral health therapist in 2017, Eliza worked in remote NSW and regional Victoria, primarily with Indigenous communities. For the past few years, she has been based at Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative in Mooroopna, outside Shepparton.
Tracey Hearn, Practice Manager of the Oral Health Clinic at Rumbalara and a proud Yorta Yorta woman, says, “We have been really pleased to be part of Eliza’s cultural safety project research. Eliza’s motivation and dedication to improving oral health for our community is incredible. She has built a great rapport and strong trust with our community and this has made a real difference.”
A large part of Eliza's work has involved building trust with patients who have often felt intimidated and disempowered in a clinical setting. By building trust, Eliza says people are more likely to listen to dental healthcare messages and to make regular appointments with a dental clinic.
“People from Aboriginal communities are expected to come into a dental practice where only English is spoken. Clinician attitudes can also be a barrier — in so many areas of their life, Aboriginal people have been told they’re doing things wrong and then they might go to a dental practice where they’re told they aren’t brushing their teeth properly, or feel judged over their oral disease levels.”
Building a rapport and getting to know the patient is important, according to Eliza, who says, “Aboriginal people don’t want to come to a practice and just talk about teeth. I try to get to know the people I am treating.”
She says the project aims to build deeper understanding about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would like their care to be provided and what changes can be made in public dentistry, in policy, in how dental clinicians are trained and in how we communicate oral health promotion.
“I hope this research contributes to dental and oral health students understanding how to create a culturally safe environment within a clinic where people can embrace their culture and be themselves without fear of shame and judgement.”
PhD candidate Eliza Collins (bottom left) at the Garma Festival in North-East Arnhem Land, during data collection
Under the skin
Scotia Mullin’s PhD pinpoints forensic indicators that help prove strangulation in violent crimes.
When completed, Scotia Mullin’s PhD research will provide authorities with detailed guidance to help identify whether strangulation is a factor in the cause of death or mechanism of injury. It might also help dentists recognise signs of trauma from strangulation as part of everyday practice.
With a background in biological and forensic anthropology and public health, Scotia has analysed around 400 cases of death by strangulation in Australia. About half of those cases involved inter-personal violence, with members of the LGBTQ community over-represented in the case numbers.
However, Scotia believes more deaths or assaults in Australia involving strangulation may be going undetected because investigators lack knowledge about the intricate and subtle changes that occur to a victim’s skin, muscle and bone.
“Whether a person is strangled by an intimate partner, commits suicide by hanging or dies through auto-erotic asphyxia, the skeletal injuries and soft tissue injuries look very different. In the future, this research could assist investigators in determining cause or manner of death,” says Scotia.
“Strangulation also causes quite a significant amount of injury to the internal structures of the mouth and neck that could be identified by dentists. So, in the future, dentists could be educated on how to identify signs of intimate partner violence that involve strangulation in their patients,” he says.
With his PhD supervisor, Associate Professor Rita Hardiman (BSc Hons 1998, PhD 2010, GCertUniTeach 2018), Scotia is already sharing some of his research insights during a lecture he presents to first-year Doctor of Dental Surgery students at Melbourne Dental School.
“When they become dentists, they will be able to incorporate sexual health questions into their standard practice, understand their role as a dentist in identifying any possible signs of strangulation, and know how to talk about this with a patient,” says Scotia.
Scotia’s career and research have taken him from Australia to the US, where he studied at the at the University of Wyoming and did an internship in the coroner’s office in Wyoming.
He then returned to Australia to complete a Master of Public Health before embarking on his PhD. He has also worked as a cultural heritage auditor for the University of Melbourne, identifying Indigenous remains within the anatomical collections.
Scotia’s focus is currently on completing his PhD, which will also incorporate the experiences of men who have sex with men who survive strangulation and the barriers that prevent them seeking help after such an experience.
“Strangulation is a significant predictor of homicide in intimate partner violence. So, if you are strangled by your partner, you are more likely to become a homicide victim. It is a huge issue and we need to do more about it,” Scotia says.
If you need support or advice, please contact 1800 RESPECT national helpline: 1800 737 732 or Lifeline: 131 114
PhD candidate Scotia Mullin in the Melbourne Dental School teaching lab at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.
A series of renovations are improving student education and patient care at Australia’s leading dental teaching hospital.
Each week, Melbourne Dental School (MDS) students — Victoria’s future oral health workforce — expand their knowledge, hone their skills and gain experience caring for dental patients at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne (RDHM).
The hospital, operated by Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV), provides essential public dental services and emergency care to Victorians. Through the hospital, DHSV and MDS have created a mutually supportive partnership — the hospital is one of MDS’ primary placement providers. Here, students learn and apply their knowledge while learning from the hospital’s experienced clinical educators.
This commitment to ensuring high-quality care for patients and providing the best possible educational experience for MDS students has led to a series of recent upgrades and renovations across the hospital.
“We’re upgrading our operating theatres with new theatre pendants and advanced lighting systems to create a more efficient and comfortable working environment. We‘re also introducing dimmable lighting to help ease patient anxiety during procedures,” says Rebecca Paterson, DHSV Chief Operating Officer.
“We’re improving our teaching clinics by installing new X-ray arms. Previously, there were two X-ray units per 16 chairs, but soon we’ll have one for every two chairs. Additionally, we’re investing in more cameras and instruments to ensure that both staff and students always have the necessary equipment readily available.”
New dental chairs, a more welcoming and spacious foyer, a cafe and a streamlined patient booking process are also part of the upgrades, says Charlotte Morgans, MDS School Manager. She says that as well as building technical skills and knowledge, training at the hospital encourages students to consider working in the public health system.
“Students build their professional practice, expertise, technical dexterity and overall knowledge of the benefits of public dentistry,” says Ms Morgans. “They begin to understand the issues people face in accessing dental care and they are exposed to some very challenging cases as not all people can afford day-to-day dental care.”
Ms Paterson adds: “Our role is to support the teaching and learning of the future oral health workforce so they can qualify and provide an excellent standard of care for patients.”
“MDS students are vital in delivering treatment to patients at the hospital and our partnership with MDS is critical to the hospital’s success.”
The work is due to be completed in 2025. Interested in joining a tour of the completed renovations? Ensure your details are up to date to receive news and invitations: your. unimelb.edu.au/
Artist rendering of the new Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne foyer.
Opening doors in dentistry
As Chief Oral Health Advisor for Dental Health Services Victoria, Adjunct
Associate Professor Werner
Bischof wants to remove the silos that separate oral health from the general health system.
Since graduating from Melbourne Dental School with a Master of Dental Science specialising in Periodontology, Dr Werner Bischof AM (BDSc 1988, MDSc 1998) has proactively supported and advanced the oral health profession in Australia.
He has been a periodontist in clinical practice and a consultant at the Royal Children’s Hospital for over 20 years while holding senior policy, clinical leadership and professional development roles. Currently, as Chief Oral Health Advisor, Dr Bischof is the lead clinical voice for Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) on the Executive.
“I provide a clinical lens over the organisation’s strategy and operations, offer direct input into discussions at the board and executive level, and give advice on the provision of clinical care across the state. I also keep a forward eye on future areas of development or change for the delivery of clinical care and services,” he says.
“DHSV is the lead oral and dental health agency for the state. We run critical oral health promotion programs, invest in oral health research, advise the government on oral health policy and support the education of current and future oral health professionals throughout Victoria. Through the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, and in partnership with our community dental agencies throughout the state, we provide oral and dental health services for all Victorians.”
Equipping the DHSV workforce to provide quality oral healthcare, improving access to services for those most vulnerable and creating health equity is a constant and evolving focus.
“The care we deliver must be mindful of what communities and individuals need, and respect the outcomes people want. Whether we provide public education, health promotion, prevention or specialist care, our aim is to create sustainable health improvements for the communities in which we work,” says Dr Bischof.
Dr Bischof has served on the Council of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and was President from 2010 to 2012. He joined the Australian Dental Council’s Accreditation Committee and sat on various committees of the Dental Board of Australia, dealing with regulation and standards of care and practice.
He sees a number of challenges and opportunities facing the profession, such the way dentistry is viewed by the general community and within the broader health system.
“Dentistry is compartmentalised as something ‘on the side’ when we really need oral health to be considered as part of a person’s general health and wellbeing; we need to advocate for putting the mouth back into the body,” he says.
He believes oral health faces similar challenges to other areas of the health sectors — workforce pressures and the questions of how to use resources to achieve the best outcomes for patients and the community. He says there are benefits to be gained from understanding how other areas of the health sectors and community services operate to support patients and the population.
“There are great learnings to be gained if we are curious about how others communicate and build skills to provide the care that patients need,” he says.
Dr Bischof believes recognising the value of collaboration and being open to opportunities to contribute, to work with people in other healthcare sectors, and to advocate for the oral health profession are also important to progress.
“In my first year of dentistry, I took a resident position at the dental unit at The Alfred and was exposed to trauma and medically compromised patients and that gave me a deeper understanding of where dentistry fits into the complex medical management of some patients. I then spent three years in general dental practice in Geelong, which gave me an understanding of rural practice. From there I arrived at periodontics,” he says.
“My advice to any recent graduate today is keep an eye out for opportunities and when a door opens, walk through it.”
Adjunct Associate Professor Werner Bischof
‘Dentistry has changed a lot in my time’
As periodontist and President of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, Dr Susan Wise is always learning new skills.
An off-the-cuff comment by her Year 7 maths teacher caused Dr Susan Wise (BDSc 1994) to consider a career in dentistry.
As a little girl, she says she wanted to be a doctor at first as her dad was a GP. “Then my maths teacher mentioned that her two daughters were studying dentistry and I had a moment when I realised that I wanted to be a dentist.”
“My dad thought I would be more suited to dentistry because it is a hands-on job. He also mentioned that, as a medical intern, you don’t get much sleep!” says Dr Wise.
Dr Wise graduated from Melbourne Dental School in 1994 — and is organising her cohort’s 30-year reunion later this year. She then completed a Master of Dental Science (Periodontics). As well as running her own periodontics practice, she has been a proactive member of the oral health profession.
She’s held a series of senior roles including the Past President of the Australian Dental Association Victorian branch, the Immediate Past President of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS) and a Board member of the Australian Dental Association Dental Health Foundation, which helps disadvantaged patients, such as the homeless and survivors of domestic violence, access dental treatment.
Continually expanding her skills, Dr Wise also graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2020. “I wanted to know more about finance, governance, risk and strategy,” she explains.
Currently, through her RACDS role, Dr Wise is working to establish a hospital-based specialist training program in New Zealand for those interested in practising special needs and paediatric dentistry in Oral Medicine, Special Needs Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry.
Dr Wise also teaches postgraduate periodontal students, which she says is very much a two-way teaching and learning process.
“I have a 16-year-old son, so my teaching opportunities are limited, but I teach six sessions a year. We discuss the students’ patients and I provide advice on their treatment plans, but I learn from the students, too. They may have been taught things by other clinical educators that I can adapt into my practice,” she says.
Away from the office, Dr Wise enjoys travelling, walking her dog and baking — “although desserts aren't great for our teeth!”
“Dentistry has changed a lot in my time,” she says. “Techniques change and technology and materials change. When I began my career there were no digital X-rays and we used a lot of amalgam, which is very rarely used now. Dentistry is evolving and anyone who works in the field needs to keep learning because graduation is just the beginning of the journey.”
Dr Wise is very excited about her upcoming 30-year dentistry reunion. “It is hard to believe that we graduated 30 years ago. It doesn’t seem that long ago. There were only about 50 students in my year level and we were a tight-knit group. We had lots of fun times as dental students at uni.”
She adds: “I love the people-related aspect of dentistry and how you can make a difference if you communicate and show empathy. I’ve seen many of my patients regularly for many years now and I’ve watched them and their families grow and that has been very rewarding.”
Learn more about MDS reunions: mdhs. unimelb.edu.au/engage/alumni/reunions2024#dental-school
Dr Susan Wise with former Head of Melbourne Dental School Professor Alastair Sloan at the 2022 MDS graduation
Mentoring the next generation
Preparing final-year students for the realities of the workplace is just one way in which mentors provide valuable support to current students.
Dr Martin Gale (MDSc 1999) remembers his first year or two practising as a dentist. He had joined a busy public health clinic in England, where he first graduated, and the fast pace of the work and a lack of support from busy colleagues left him to sink or swim.
“I went into practice as a young graduate in a National Health Practice in England and you had to work fast,” says Dr Gale. “It was a hard first year and my memory of that time makes me want to do something to help new graduates because working in a dental practice is very different to being a dental student at university. I began mentoring for that reason.”
For the past decade, Dr Gale has supported the Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences Mentoring Program. He advises final-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) students on applying for jobs, identifying a dental practice that will help them navigate the early years of their career, and ensuring they take care of their health and wellbeing.
“Those early years are when you start to shape what the rest of your career might look like. You develop your attitude about quality control, the type of dentistry you want to do, your ethics etc.,” says Dr Gale.
“So, I always advise students to find a job in the right environment with someone who will hold their hand, talk things through, give good advice and guide them correctly.”
This year, Dr Gale has mentored final-year DDS students, Vera Wang and Jing Qian Pang. They took part in the program to find out more about what it is like to practise as a dentist in the real world.
“I had a lot of questions about the next chapter of my life. In dental school, it’s easy to focus on passing the next clinic or cramming in theory for the next assessment. Your life is laid out and you don’t always think about the end — you have to get a job and the gap between dental school and the workforce seems big,” says Vera.
“I caught up with Dr Gale every month or two to talk about my career interests, working in the public versus private system, and future speciality areas.”
Dr Gale provided frank and useful advice on focusing on the cornerstones of good dental practice — properly planning ahead for a patient’s treatment, communication skills and perfecting basic restorative dentistry skills, like fillings.
Jing Qian and Vera observed Dr Gale, a specialist in endodontics — the diagnosis and treatment of dental root canals — in his clinic. This included insights into the integration of AI into the process.
“I’m interested in endodontics, so observing Dr Gale treating patients in his clinic and seeing the precision of his work and the level of preparation was fascinating,” says Jing Qian.
“I was also keen to learn from him about what to expect as a clinician and how to make the transition from university to work.”
Jing Qian has found the mentoring experience incredibly valuable and encourages future dental students to participate.
“I’d certainly recommend the mentor program. You learn a lot from people out in the field who have years of experience to share.”
Dr Gale says the mentor-mentee program is a two-way learning process. “I definitely learn from the students,” he says. “They keep me up to date with how dentistry is being taught. Explaining how I work clarifies in my own mind what I do and makes me reflect on whether I can improve my practice in any way.
“I like helping young people because I’d like to think they’d have a slightly easier time than I did getting into practice. Vera and Jing are very capable and keen, and so I think they will do well.”
Interested in mentoring? Find out more: mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/engage/alumni/ mentoring
Dr Martin Gale with mentees Jing Qian Pang (left) and Vera Wang (right) at the 2024 Mentoring Mixer event.
Family and philanthropy: supports for a Yemeni dentist
Dr Mohammed Al-baadani’s research journey has taken him from his homeland in Yemen via China to a Brian and Ann Dooley Early Career Research Fellowship in Melbourne.
When Dr Mohammed Al-baadani finished high school in 2004, he initially dreamed of becoming an engineer. But life in his home country of Yemen was difficult and university was unaffordable.
Instead, Dr Al-baadani followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Fahd, and learned to become a dental technician. “Fahd wanted to become a dentist but he married and had children and so had a lot of responsibilities. He couldn’t afford to study, but he always told me that he regretted not being able to achieve his dream and he pushed me to make sure I followed my dream,” says Dr Al-baadani.
That pursuit brought Dr Al-baadani to Melbourne Dental School, where he has become an expert in biomaterials and regenerative medicine. He is supported by a Brian and Ann Dooley Early Career Research Fellowship that recognises outstanding researchers contributing to the future of oral health and dentistry. This is enabling him to research advancements in dental biomaterials and how they can be used effectively in dental treatments such as root canals and composite fillings.
“I completed dental school in Yemen and became a dentist but it was hard to find work, so I went to China to do my masters degree and PhD. After that, I wanted to come to Australia to pursue my research and I began emailing universities here looking for post-doc opportunities,” says Dr Al-baadani.
His persistence paid off when Melbourne Dental School Director of Research, Professor Stuart Dashper (PhD 1991), offered Dr Al-baadani a place at MDS in October 2023.
“Because of the Fellowship, I am in the best possible place to build my career. It brings so many opportunities,” says Dr Al-baadani.
“It gives me a platform to put forward my ideas, to demonstrate what I have done so far and to know where I am going in the future. It opens the door for me to talk with major companies in Australia about how we can advance dental materials and translate laboratory research to a clinical setting to improve outcomes for patients. It has given me time and resources to realise my ideas and dreams.
“I deeply appreciate this pivotal support, which not only aids my research but also fuels my determination to shape the future of oral health research and academia.”
While conducting his research, Dr Albaadani is also completing Australian Dental Council exams that will enable him to practise as a dentist. The financial support of the ECR Fellowship ensures he can allocate time to prepare for that rigorous examination process.
“My older brother is still in Yemen and he is very proud of what I have done. He calls me ‘the professor’ although I am not a professor!” says Dr Al-baadani. “His two children have graduated from dental school and become dentists, too, and my dream is to bring them to Australia one day so they can practise here and enjoy the kind of opportunities I have been given.”
Find out how you can support students: unimelb.edu.au/alumni/give
Brian and Ann Dooley Early Career Research Fellowship recipient Dr Mohammed Al-baadani
Award winners
Bree Jones and Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds honoured in International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research.
Two Melbourne Dental School researchers received prestigious international awards this year.
Bree Jones (BSc 2005, BOralHth 2008, MPH 2017, GCDT Grad Cert Dental Therapy 2021) and Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds AO (BSc(Hons) 1972, PhD 1978) both received awards for their research from the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR) in New Orleans, held from 13-16 March 2024.
Bree Jones
Bree received the 2024 IADR Colgate Research in Prevention Travel Award, which recognises young investigators undertaking research in the prevention of oral diseases and provides an opportunity to present their work to the international dental and oral health research community. “Sharing research with a wide audience and getting feedback and insights from experts allows you to keep improving and learning, so your research has greater impact,” she says.
In addition, at the IADR Australian/New Zealand Division, held in Cairns, 25-27 September, Bree won first place in the Senior Division of the Colgate competition, and she will now go on to represent Australia in the Hatton Competition at the General Session at IADR in Barcelona in 2025.
“The award also gives me a platform to connect with other academics and researchers and that can lead to other opportunities,” she says.
Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds
Laureate Professor Reynolds received the IADR Distinguished Scientist William H. Bowen Research in Dental Caries Award.
“This award reflects on my entire research group in the dental school who have made outstanding contributions to dental caries research over many years,” he says.
“This research has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and has involved industry partnerships, with research translation that has culminated in dental products now available in over 50 countries worldwide.”
Laureate Professor Reynolds has more than 100 publications in the field of caries research and over 400 total peer-reviewed publications overall in a career spanning 40 years. He is also CEO and Research Director of the University’s Centre for Oral Health Research.
“It is extremely gratifying to be recognised by the peak international association for dental research and receive an award in the name of William H. Bowen, who was an outstanding researcher and mentor. I met Bill at IADR meetings and he was always generous with his time and advice. He was an inspiration to many, including me,” he says.
Bree Jones
Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds AO
Getting involved and giving back
Volunteering time and skills can lead to some high-flying opportunities.
Volunteering is an important part of Dr Tony Collett’s (BSc Hons 1979, BDSc 1987, MDSc 1991, PhD 1983) life. A semi-retired orthodontist, every fortnight he teaches pro bono at Melbourne Dental School’s (MDS) orthodontic clinic.
“I enjoy the interaction with the students — they’re knowledgeable, they test me and I have to keep up with them!” he says.
With other MDS alumni and some MDS staff, Dr Collett is also planning another trip to Vietnam as part of the School's collegial relationship with Vietnamese dental specialists and surgeons
For more than 20 years, he has been a member of the Rotary Australia Vietnam Oral Health Team, where volunteer dental specialists work with the hospital team providing specialist dental care and cleft lip and palate expertise. Dr Collett has recently taken over from Dr Jamie Robertson (BA Hons 1986, MA 1989, FRACDS 2011, MPH 2009), who founded the group.
“The team spends a week at the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh and we assist with cases and look at the treatment planning for orthodontics and surgery patients.”
“We also provide professional education to our Vietnamese colleagues, who are always keen to learn and improve their skills,” says Dr Collett.
“The learning is two-way; we also learn from the Vietnamese practitioners. It’s very rewarding when we can suggest ways of improving a patient’s outcome and it’s always rewarding to work with our Vietnamese colleagues, who are very capable. I’m organising our 2025 trip and we have several people from the University of Melbourne coming along — teaching staff and alumni are supportive.”
Dr Collett is also a coordinator of FunFlight, which provides an aviation experience for children experiencing adversity. Each year, Dr Collett organises the event and, with other volunteers, he also pilots one of the light aircraft giving free sightseeing flights to children and teenagers facing difficult life experiences. As part of the FunFlight initiative, orthodontic postgraduate students are also encouraged to throw their support behind the event at Lilydale Airport.
Young people supported by organisations like Cancer Kids, Heart Kids, Very Special Kids and CleftPals Victoria, as well as foster children from Anglicare, have all enjoyed the free flights and sausage sizzle.
“The day is an opportunity for MDS staff and students to share something outside of dentistry because the orthodontic program can be consuming,” says Dr Collett.
“A number of the orthodontic postgraduates volunteer to come to the airport to help. They get a lot of enjoyment from helping kids who have often faced misfortune and adversity — it’s very satisfying.
“Years ago, I remember receiving a letter from a mother whose son came to the FunFlight experience. He died three or four months later and his mother wrote to me to tell me that the day of his flight was the best day of his life.
“I have always been involved in some form of volunteering, in Australia and overseas. The profession has been so good to me and I like the feeling of giving something back. Volunteering has provided the opportunity to make a contribution and meet many exceptional and inspiring people. It is also just so enjoyable.”
Find out about volunteering at the University of Melbourne: unimelb.edu.au/ alumni/get-involved/volunteer
Dr Tony Collett examining a patient in Vietnam.
Shaping a profession: 50 years of dental therapists
Since the early 1970s, oral therapists
have played an increasingly important role in supporting the oral health of Victorians, as a new book and exhibition recognise.
Certificates, class photographs, wax teeth, uniforms, class notes, and archived papers documenting key legislative and policy changes that allowed dental therapists to begin practising and developing the profession in Victoria have all featured in an exhibition and book that recognises and celebrates their contribution.
Shaping a Profession: 50 Years of Dental Therapists traces the journey of dental therapy through the lived experience of students, the dental therapists, and the academics who educated and trained them.
The exhibition at the University of Melbourne’s Medical History Museum was led by Professor Julie Satur, Professor of Oral Health and Director of Engagement and Indigenous Programs at Melbourne Dental School; Professor Mike Morgan (MDSc 1985, PhD 1996), Honorary Curator of the Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum; Dr Jacqueline Healy, Director of the Medical History Museum at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences; and Tess Scott, the registrar of faculty museums.
The exhibition and book highlight how dental therapy has evolved to play a farreaching and significant role in Victorians’, and indeed Australia’s oral healthcare.
Professor Satur was one of the first cohort of dental therapists to begin a two-year training program in Melbourne’s Dental Therapy School, established in 1975 under Commonwealth government funding.
Professor Satur recalls that, at the time, “You had to be right-handed, female, under 25 and unmarried” to train as a dental therapist. Upon graduating, dental therapists worked exclusively for the School Dental Service providing check-ups, X-rays,
fillings and extractions, preventive care and oral health promotion for children and adolescents in schools. Professor Satur recalls they treated many children who may never have received treatment otherwise.
The exhibition and book illustrate how far dental therapy has progressed since the 1970s and key steps along the way, such as getting the discipline into the university sector, which provided dental therapists with an appropriately recognised qualification. Dental therapy and dental hygiene were also combined into a new profession – oral therapy.
Changing regulations to open up the profession’s opportunities, usage and visibility were also an important step. Today, dental and oral health therapists work in oncology wards, Indigenous communities, outreach programs, public and private general dental and specialist practices, disability, aged care and special needs settings, community and school dental programs in policy, academic research and teaching roles.
“As a dental therapist, I could see that our skills could be used far more widely given the right regulation. Once we achieved that, we then worked to move our students out into other under-served community and practice settings to develop their skills, and to show how they could contribute to improving oral health,” says Professor Satur.
“I’m so proud of the way this profession contributes to improving oral health and increasing access to dental care.”
Read about the publication: go.unimelb.edu.au/tu98
This article is adapted from a piece originally published on Pursuit.
“I was the first female promoted to Professor in the Melbourne Dental School, but I’m more proud of being the first dental therapist to be made a Professor at the Melbourne Dental School,” says Professor Satur.
Visitors
Connecting passion with purpose for a brighter future
Dr Peter Yeung and Dr Judy Yeung grew up in Hong Kong and both were awarded scholarships to pursue their tertiary education. Peter studied hard with the dream of studying medicine. Though his academic results were exceptional, his family couldn’t financially support him to go to medical school.
“Because of my upbringing, I didn’t want my family or my brothers to take the burden of my livelihood, so I worked while I studied to keep me going.”
With the life-changing support of scholarships, they made the decision to move to Australia to study dentistry and oral health at the University of Melbourne. These scholarships gave Peter and Judy the confidence to plan their futures. For Peter, moving here meant the difference between going to university or not.
Peter and Judy not only met here, but found a supportive and exciting environment at the University and during Peter’s first year at Wilam Hall (formerly known as Medley Hall). Peter completed his Master of Dental Science in 1968, while Judy worked for a government-funded children’s dental scheme. They later established their own private dental practice.
Their decision to support the University through gifts in their Wills was a natural progression of their enduring passion for dentistry and improving the lives of others, and an important next step in their philanthropy. Peter and Judy’s legacy gifts enable them to continue supporting what is most important to them and making positive change.
“After years of working and saving, we always wanted to give something back. We decided to do something about it.”
It was their own experiences that motivated them to support the next generation of dental scholars during their lifetimes and in their Wills.
Thanks to Judy’s generosity, the Peter Yeung Dental Scholarship was established to support budding dentists enrolled at Melbourne Dental School. “My husband is very passionate about his work, his dentistry,” said Judy.
Peter described this scholarship in his name as an honour, which aligns with his own generous spirit. “Some students cannot afford to study. They are not given the opportunity. I am lucky those students can benefit from this scholarship.”
Each year, Peter and Judy meet the recipients. “We feel very lucky. We like that we can add to this scholarship in our Wills, so we can continue with our purpose when we are gone.”
Beyond dentistry, Judy has established the Judy Yeung Early Career Research Fund for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) and Euthanasia, a research area close to her heart.
Judy’s gift will support researchers at critical stages during their careers and bring enhanced understanding of euthanasia and VAD, empowering people to make informed choices.
For anyone considering a gift in their Will, Peter and Judy say: “Don’t wait. If it’s something you’re passionate about, do it now and do it quick, because tomorrow may be too late.
“Do whatever you can to donate, because it will help so many people. Even a small amount can grow."
Find out how you can support students today: www.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/give
This article was originally published in the Impact of Your Giving publication, October 2024.
Peter and Judy meeting 2022 Peter Yeung Dental Scholarship recipient, Swezie Bitalac, at the Melbourne Medical School Celebration Dinner.
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