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Head of School
I would like to thank and congratulate all staff on their achievements in 2017 which have contributed to a very successful year for the school. In 2018 we will have our first intake of students into the Master of Dentistry, Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics and Master of Clinical Dentistry in Oral Surgery and Endodontics reflecting the school's scholarship and delivery of a suite of health programs that meet community needs.
I hope you enjoy the summer break and I look forward to working towards our goals in 2018.
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Staff update
Dr Ajay Sharma - Snr Lecturer in Periodontology
Dr Ajay Sharma joined our team in October 2017 as a Senior Lecturer in Periodontology. Ajay gained his BDS and MDS degree from India. Following his graduation in 2008, Ajay worked as a Senior Lecturer at a reputed dental school in India where he was involved in teaching implant dentistry and periodontics at postgraduate level. He also worked as a specialist in Periodontics and Dental implants in Delhi for three years prior to his relocation to New Zealand to pursue his research dream.
He graduated with PhD degree from the University of Otago in 2015. His doctorate thesis involved evaluation of surface modified dental implants and effect on osseointegration. While completing his Doctorate, Ajay held various positions in University of Otago actively involved in clinical education teaching undergraduate students in aspects of general dentistry and periodontology. After his PhD, he joined the faculty full time continuing his passion to teach and research. He is also a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI, USA) and an adjunct faculty member at The T N Dr MGR Medical University, India.
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Annual Strategic Planning Day
School of Dentistry and Oral Health strategic vision
The School of Dentistry and Oral Health annual Strategic Planning Day was held on Monday 20th November. Forum groups discussed strategies for the following topics;
• Research
• Learning and Teaching - Academic
• Learning and Teaching - Clinical
• Equity & Diversity - Students / Admissions
• Partnerships and
• Internationalisation.
We thank Prof David Shum, Dean Research (Health) for attending as invited speaker and providing his input on the challenges and strategies in the field of research.
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Graduation Celebration 2017
Our final year Graduands were congratulated and farewelled at Sharks Events Centre on 11th December. Joined by family, friends and staff from the School of Dentistry and Oral Health, the event provided an opportunity for all to acknowledge the hard work, skills and achievements our students have obtained for professional recognition in the health profession.
Professor Laurie Walsh, President ADAQ, Dr Helen Boocock, Director, Metro South Health QLD and Ms Jennifer Morgan, Academic Affairs Manager,Colgate-Palmolive (as major sponsor) welcomed the cohort to the profession imparting valuable advice for successful careers in the dentistry field.
Ms Jessica Soden, 5th Year Student Representative recapped the past 5 years for her cohort with an assortment of amusing memories and an expression of appreciation to all staff and colleagues who were involved in their journey.
We wish our graduates the very best and encourage them as Griffith Alumni to keep in touch!
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End of year staff celebration
Celebrating the closing of 2017 was a barefoot event for the DOH team. Skills were tested on the bowling green as our staff teamed up and competed for prestigious awards (and chocolates).
• Most Unique Bowling Technique awarded to Ajay Sharma
• Most Improved on the Day awarded to Tiago Braga
• Most Passionate Bowler awarded to Schendell Mason
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Kingaroy Dental Clinic update
Collaborative project with Griffith University and Queensland Health
We are pleased to advise the new Kingaroy Dental Clinic building (School of Dentistry and Oral Health Outpatient Clinic) is completed and ready to commence operations in early 2018.
This partnership between the School of Dentistry & Oral Health (Griffith University) and Queensland Health (Darling Downs District) provides a health facility with 10 dental chairs, 6 of which are to be used by dentistry students from Griffith University.
Additional services include a dental laboratory, reception area, and a multi-purpose allied health/community facility.
Final year dentistry students will be rostered throughout the year commencing late January. Students can choose to reside in the high quality on-site student accommodation provided by the University.
For further information please contact Professor Peter Reher, Deputy Head of School, Clinical Education.
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VC Award for Excellence in General Staff Service
Outstanding Individual Client Service to Students (HEW Level 1 - 5).
Congratulations to Ms Maureen Foley, Academic Support Officer, DClinDent (Perio) who was nominated for and subsequently received a Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in General Staff Service. Maureen was awarded Outstanding Individual Client Service to Students (HEW Level 1 - 5). Over 150 nominations were received across all categories which further highlights the outstanding level of work and service achieved by Maureen. Noteworthy to mention Maureen was also awarded a Griffith Health Excellence Award for outstanding contribution to postgraduate programs in the School of Dentistry and Oral Health in 2013. VC Award winners were formally presented their awards at a ceremony held on Wednesday 22nd November.
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2017 Health Alumni Awards
Outstanding Young Health Alumnus of the Year
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We are pleased to announce that Dr Mohit Tolani who graduated with a Graduate Diploma of Dentistry in 2016 has been awarded Outstanding Young Health Alumnus of Year.
In addition to working as a public dentist Mohit has collaborated on a number of projects in a volunteer capacity. In 2016 he led the Indigenous High-school Oral Health Literacy project in co-ordination with Yalari, a not-for-profit organisation for indigenous youth development. This year Mohit started the ‘SheppHealth’ project, delivering dental and general health information to high-school and TAFE students in the Greater Shepparton region. Mohit provides a regular mobile dental service to elderly residents in the region where access to this service is difficult or unavailable. In collaboration with the Western-Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Mohit also worked to foster accessibility to the Free Rapid HIV testing Dental Clinics project, a well-received public health initiative.
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From 2013 – 2015 Mohit was appointed the People of Australia Ambassador within the Australian Multicultural Council and later, President of the National Australian Dental Students Association, where he led initiatives on career growth and mental health support systems for graduates. This year he was awarded the Goulburn Valley Young Professional of the Year.
We congratulate Mohit on his achievements to date and wish him well with his ongoing professional career.
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School Alumni Winner 2017
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We are pleased to announce the winner of the School of Dentistry and Oral Health Alumni award for 2017, Mr Michael Slater. Michael is a dental ceramist who owns and operates Slater Dental Studio on the Gold Coast. Established in 1979, Slater Dental Studio researches techniques which effectively satisfy current and future needs of cosmetic dentistry. For 35 years, by combining both art and science, it has become one of the leading cosmetic dental studios in South East Queensland.
Michael graduated from Griffith University with the Bachelor of Oral Health, Dental Technology in 2005, collaborating with Griffith’s School of Engineering on a research project on zirconia. In 2008, he obtained Master Technician status from the Las Vegas Institute in the USA. He is a member of the International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics (IACA). He was also the Australasian and South East Asian Technical Consultant for the Penton Corporation, Connecticut, USA from 1998 – 2005.
Michael’s contribution to his profession is one of continual commitment and dedication. He attends courses all over the world in countries including Japan, USA and Europe. He maintains his membership with the International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics and numerous Facebook study groups. He also maintains a close association with Griffith University’s School of Dentistry and Oral Health, volunteering his time to give lectures on dental ceramics to the undergraduate students. He also offers professional advice to the Griffith students prior to graduation, providing general information on dental laboratories, and what new graduates need to be aware of, as the students look at entering the workforce. He has also hosted group visits by Griffith University Dental Technology Students for the past 2 years.
Michael is a hands–on trainer of dental technicians and a key opinion leader for 3M ESPE Australia, regularly testing and evaluating new products. He was also involved in training students on exchange to Griffith University from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden - one of the largest and most prestigious medical universities in the world and also Gwangju University, South Korea. He has presented nationally and internationally to dental industry groups, study groups and to members of the Australian Dental Association.
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Dental Clinic Team nominated
Griffith Health Group Health,Safety and Wellbeing Award
Implementing a Solution to a Health, Safety and Wellbeing Hazard
Congratulations to the team in the Griffith Dental Clinic who were nominated for a Griffith Health Safety and Wellbeing Award - Outstanding Team category with their submission Reduction of Sharps Injuries which involved working with a supplier to implement a more ergonomic and safer way to transport dirty instruments to CSSD. The outcome of their project lead to the introduction of larger instrument cassettes to reduce risk of sharps injuries in the Dental Clinic.
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Bamaga Project
Managing the burden of dental caries in remote rural Indigenous communities of Australia
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Initiated by the study protocol Effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and cost benefit of a single annual professional intervention for the prevention of childhood dental caries in a remote rural Indigenous community
Lalloo et al. BMC Oral Health (2015) 15:99DOI 10.1186/s12903-015-0076-9 and funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) came the formation of the Bamaga Project.
Bamaga is a remote rural Indigenous community located in the Northern Peninsula Area of Cape York with a population of approx. 2000, 600 of those children. Working with the QLD Government Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services team based at the Thursday Island Dental Clinic and the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC), the project team co-ordinated 3 annual visits to the following 3 schools; Bamaga Junior campus, Bamaga Senior campus and Injinoo Primary School to screen the dental health of all compliant school children, the majority of whom are Indigenous.
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The aim of the study is to reduce the high prevalence of tooth decay in children in a remote, rural Indigenous community in Australia, by application of a single annual dental preventive intervention. This involves swabbing the dentition with povidone iodine to reduce cariogenic flora, application of fluoride varnish, and placement of fissure sealants where indicated. The study will assess the effectiveness of this annual intervention in slowing the incidence of dental caries in children in this community, and determine the costs involved, in comparison with waiting for cavities to develop, and seeking access to treatment, which might have to be well outside the community itself. The team believe the findings will have application to remote communities worldwide.
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Dental complications are the most common causes for emergency MediVac in remote Australia and it is hoped this project will contribute not only to the promotion of oral health within the community but also reduce the costs involved with managing preventable dental emergencies.
2017 marks the third and final year of the project team collating data on site with the NHMRC study grant allowing a further year to collate and publish their findings. The project team is Griffith led and includes E/Prof Newell Johnson as CIA, Prof Jeroen Kroon, A/Prof Ratilal Lalloo (UQ and Adjunct Professor, Griffith), Dr Sanjeewa Kularatna (QUT and Adjunct SR Fellow Griffith), Dr Ohnmar Tut (Adjunct SR Fellow, MHIQ, Griffith) and Prof Paul Scuffham.
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News and updates
2017 Academic Promotion Round
Congratulations to Dr Andrea Rung who has been promoted to Senior Lecturer with the basis for Andrea's promotion being Outstanding Achievement in Teaching
Griffith Dental Clinic - Commonwealth Games
Operation of the Griffith Dental Clinic during the Commonwealth Games (4th - 15th April 2017) will be as follows;
• Student Clinic (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) closed for the entire period
• Professional Clinic will be on "skeleton" operation, rostering 1 - 2 dentists for emergency appointments only.
Health Group H&S Training Completion Winners
Well done to the Griffith Health Clinics, which includes the Dental Clinic Team for winning the Casual Staff award for highest level of improvement, an increase of 26.33%, for H&S training completions.
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Huesped de Honor de la Institucion
Whilst attending the annual meeting of the Argentine Dental Association in Buenos Aires in October 2017 to give a series of invited lectures Emeritus Professor Newell W Johnson was awarded "Huesped de Honor de la Institucion", the highest honour at the Association's disposal.
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Health,wellbeing and safe festivities
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Contributions invited
Email contributions or feedback to the School of Dentistry and Oral Health newsletter administrator.
Previous editions of newsletter
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