School of Dentistry seminar series: Paediatric Dentistry at UQ SoD – Advances in Research - Dr Sobia Zafar, Dr Thomas Hogerheyde, Dr Yvonne Lai

Dr Sobia Zafar is a specialist paediatric dentist and a Discipline Lead in Paediatric Dentistry at The University of Queensland. Dr Zafar attained her DClinDent and a PhD degree from the University of Otago, New Zealand. She has over 100 publications, comprising of full papers, a book chapter and published abstracts, in both national and international peer-review journals. She is the recipient of several awards including Commendation for Programs That Enhance Learning (APEL) Award, and Commendation for Substantive Contributions to Student Learning Award (CSCSL) from The University of Queensland based on her contribution to dental education. Her research and clinical interests are in the fields of dental education, digital dentistry, and the oral and dental health of children including those with special needs, and she is frequently an invited speaker nationally and internationally on these subjects.

Dr Zafar is currently supervising five doctoral students, and five MPhil students who are working on a variety of projects related to paediatric dentistry and digital dental education. Dr Zafar and her team will provide an update on the research advances in the discipline of paediatric dentistry at the School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland.

Dr Thomas Hogerheyde is an MPhil candidate in the discipline of Paediatric dentistry Clinical Research Unit. He has studied microbiology and postgraduate programs at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. Following these studies Tom completed his graduate degree in Dentistry from Griffith University on the Gold Coast. More recently, Tom undertook a Masters degree investigating the effects of decontamination practices and diet on preformed paediatric crowns, and their biocompatibility in the oral cavity at the UQ School of Dentistry under the supervision or Dr Zafar and Emeritus Professor Walsh.

Dr Hogerheyde will be discussing the effects of decontamination practices and diet on preformed paediatric crowns, and their biocompatibility in the oral cavity. Preformed paediatric crowns (PPCs) are the most reliable long-term restorative device to treat childhood caries. With restorations expected to remain in the oral environment for many years, understanding how periodontal cells respond to foreign materials is of paramount importance. Of equal importance is the practice of disinfection and sterilisation. PPCs are exposed to potentially infectious bodily fluids during try-in procedures. However, guidelines on reuse vary widely between manufacturers and materials. Although protocols exist for medical-grade critical items, what effects these practices have on paediatric crown materials remains to be determined.

Dr Yvonne Lai is a PhD candidate in the discipline of Paediatric Dentistry, Clinical Research Unit, The University of Queensland. She completed her Bachelor of Dental Science from the University of Western Australia in 2009, and completed her three-year specialist training in Paediatric Dentistry conferred by the University of Western Australia in 2017, and possesses Membership in the Specialist Stream, Paediatric Dentistry (RACDS). Yvonne was the winner of the biennial 2021 Australian Dental Research Foundation Reginald and Pamela Hession Award. Yvonne has an interest in working with special care needs. This is the focus of her research- with the Telethon Kids Institute, and UQ as a PhD candidate - which explores oral health and its impacts in children and adults with Rett syndrome, a debilitating rare disorder mainly affecting females and associated with multiple morbidities and high mortality.

Dr Lai will be discussing the oral health risk in Rett syndrome: stepping stones to a better quality of life. Although bruxism is common in the disorder, the oral health risk in Rett syndrome is largely unknown, and so this is the focus of Yvonne’s research. The InterRett and AussieRett databases have provided the means to better understand the nature of this rare disease. This project provides the first comprehensive analysis of oral health risk in Rett syndrome, involving international and Australian studies to determine risk factors for oral diseases in these people, and including barriers to accessing timely dental care.