School of Dentistry

Dr Sowmya Shetty

Lecturer & Discipline Lead – Oral Biosciences
School of Dentistry
Lecturer in Interprofessional Education
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
+61 7 344 36013
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Researcher biography

Dr Sowmya Shetty is a teaching focussed academic at The University of Queensland. In her role as Lecturer in Interprofessional Education at Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, she coordinates a first year large cross faculty course called HLTH1000 (Professional, People and Healthcare) . Sowmya leads the HaBS faculty-based Interprofessional Education curriculum, embedded into approx. 40 undergraduate and postgraduate offerings, across the year, within multiple programs at the faculty. Sowmya is also Discipline Lead for Oral Biosciences at the School of Dentistry.

Sowmya recently led the Early Years Experiential Learning In Dentistry team that won a University Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (APEL) in 2023. The team was recognised by this prestigious award for their ongoing work in an early years' program change embracing specific technology enhanced learning, novel collaborative team teaching, leveraging student staff partnerships to embed authentic student input and co-creation of digital assets with over 20 student partners and finally for driving authentic teaching and assessment strategies: all to infuse clinical relevance into the early years of the BDSc Hons Program to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.

The EYLiD team acknowledges the support from current and past school leadership and the vast contributions from multiple teaching and learning teams led by the EYELiD members, at UQ Dentistry. Additionally the team is grateful for the 30+ student partner grants from UQ SSP initiative, two library grants from UQ Library that enabled newer videos and OERs to be co-created and finally the Digital Learning Uplift Team that assisted us in creation of newer assets in 2022. The team is immensely grateful to Prof Pauline Ford, our previous Head of School who mentored us all and led a Technology Enhanced Grant back in 2015, creating the foundation on which this team and its initiatives were built and greatly nurtured.

Previously, in 2022, Sowmya was awarded a HABS Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (COCSL). She was nominated for her teaching practice and the support of learning that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn, utilising authentic simulation and engagement strategies to foster critical thinking approaches and motivate dental students towards life-long learning. She is also part of the 2022 award winning UQ Dental Clinical Simulation Team led by Dr Jessica Zachar. This team was awarded a HABS Excellence in Clinical and Professional Skills Education (ECLiPSE) Award for their work in independantly designing and implementing a sustainable, novel dentally relevant emergency training module for year 3-5 BDSc Hons students at UQ.

Previously she has served in a range of service roles within UQ Dentistry since starting in 2011, including Research Higher Degrees Coordinator, interim Teaching and Learning Chair, Program Coordinator, External Engagement and Placements Coordinator and more recently as Student Experience Coordinator for 2022.

She is currently focussed on student partnerships for improving course design, assessment and feedback, and is motivated to improve clinical and observational placement experiences for students especially in interprofessional education. She is currently working on creating open educational resources in collaboration with year 1-3 course coordinators with a view to co-design custom open access textbooks for UQ dentistry courses. These are being developed with student partner contribution and feedback, via Student Staff Partnership grants through UQ.

Her research interests stemming from her PhD primarily focussed on dental materials testing, especially methodology. She worked to understand dentine permeability and its relationship to both tooth sensitivity and dentine bonding effectiveness; virtual surface mapping in tooth wear; CAD/CAM, fatigue test design and evaluation; fracture surface analysis and failure forecasting. Dental Materials is a primary focus of her teaching portfolio in the early years of the dentistry curriculum.

Publications

Books (2)
Journal Articles (6)
Conference Papers (13)
Thesis (1)

Books

Shetty, Sowmya, Chen, Wei, Huang, Raewyn, Zhang, Wei Qi and Zachar, Jessica (2024). Communication Essentials in Dentistry. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/34632ee
Stormon, Nicole, Douglas-Miller, Tachae and Shetty, Sowmya (2022). Dentistry environment essentials. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/8be74db

Journal Articles

Chen, Wei-Yi, Cheng, An-Lun, La, Natalie and Shetty, Sowmya (2022). Short-term international dental experiences in undergraduate dental students at an Australian university. European Journal of Dental Education, 26 (4), 812-819. doi: 10.1111/eje.12764
Wright, Patricia P., Scott, Suzanne, Shetty, Sowmya, Kahler, Bill and Walsh, Laurence J. (2020). Resistance to compressive force in continuous chelation. Australian Endodontic Journal, 47 (2) aej.12440, 150-156. doi: 10.1111/aej.12440
Kahler, Sam L., Shetty, Sowmya, Andreasen, Frances M. and Kahler, Bill (2017). The Effect of Long-term Dressing With Calcium Hydroxide on the Fracture Susceptibility of Teeth. Journal of Endodontics, 44 (3), 464-469. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2017.09.018
Shetty, Sowmya, Kahler, Sam L. and Kahler, Bill (2017). Alkaline Material Effects on Roots of Teeth. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 10 (12) 1412, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/ma10121412
Milic, Tihana, Valentine, Megan, Shetty, Sowmya and Walsh, Laurence J. (2017). Analysis of dental clinicians’ ability to detect iatrogenic damage, and the possibility of using a low viscosity nano-filled resin to protect damaged surfaces. International Dentistry, 7 (5), 32-40.
Shetty, Sowmya, Mithra, B. and Sureshchandra, B. (2008). Dentine deproteinization and microleakage around gingival third resin restorations. Journal of Conservative Dentistry, 11 (1), 11-15. doi: 10.4103/0972-0707.43412

Conference Papers

Starr, Gabrielle, Rodbert, Jamila, Morris, Megan, Shetty, Sowmya and Zachar, Jessica (2023). Prevalence of medical conditions and medication use in dental extraction patients from regional and remote clinics. School of Dentistry Student Research Conference, UQ Oral Health Centre, November 2023. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Chen, Wei-Yi, Cheng, An-Lun, La, Natalie and Shetty, Sowmya (2020). Short‐term international dental experiences in undergraduate dental students at an Australian university. School of Dentistry Student Research Conference , UQ Oral Health Centre , 19 November 2020. Brisbane, QLD Australia : The University of Queensland.
Shetty, S. and Wee, Ai Leen (2019). Investigating the Efficacy of Dentine Desensitizing Agents Using Scanning Electron Microscopy. International Association for Dental Research - Asia Pacific and ANZ meeting , Brisbane, QLD Australia, 28-30 November 2019.
Fouda, M. and Shetty, S. (2018). Rheology of composite resins: effect of temperature . School of Dentistry Student Research Conference 2019, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 15 November 2018. Brisbane, QLD Australia:
Shetty, S., Jones, N., Sherriff, M. and Curtis, R.V. (2017). Comparison of in-vitro testing modalities to predict reliability and identify failure modes in porcelain veneered Y-TZP copings. IADR ANZ annual meeting , Adelaide, SA Australia, 25 - 27 September 2017.
Shetty, S., Kahler, S., Kahler, W. and Andreasen, Frances (2017). Calcium hydroxide dressings cause reduction in fracture strength of in immature teeth. Asia Pacific Congress on Endodontics , New Delhi, India , 5-8 April 2017.
Joo, David, Walsh, Laurence , Shetty, Sowmya and Meyers, Ian (2015). Surface interface optimisation of elastomeric impression materials. Australian/New Zealand Division Meeting - IADR, Dunedin, New Zealand, 24 - 26 August 2015. New Zealand: IADR ANZ.
Shetty, Sowmya , Sheriff, Martyn, Jones, Nick and Curtis, Richard V. (2009). Damage modes in Y-TZP copings with different in-vitro contact tests. 2009 IADR/AADR/CADR General Session, Miami, United States, 4-7 March 2009.
Shetty, Sowmya, Jones, Nick , Sherriff, Martyn and Curtis, Richard V. (2008). Evaluating the fracture strength of Y-TZP copings. Pan European Federation Meeting - IADR , London, United Kingdom, 8-10 October 2008. London :
Shetty, Sowmya and Curtis, Richard V (2008). Y-TZP as a dental ceramic material. British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry annual meeting , Surrey, United Kingdom, 5 July 2008. Surrey, UK :
Shetty, S. (2004). Minimal intervention dentistry and current status of adhesives. 19th Federation of Operative Dentistry of India and 12th Indian Endodontic Society National Conference, Varanasi, India, 8-10 November 2004.
Shetty, Sowmya , Mithra B. and Sureshchandra B. (2002). Effect of Dentin Deproteinization on Gingival 3rd Resin Restorations – An In Vitro Spectrophotometric analysis. 17th Federation of Operative Dentistry of India and 10th Indian Endodontic Society National Conference , Mangalore, India , 9-11 November 2002. Mangalore :
Shetty, Sowmya, Hegde, Mithra B. and Sureshchandra B. (2001). Surgical microscopes - a status update. 15th Federation of Operative Dentistry of India and 8th Indian Endodontic Society National Conference , Kodaikanal, India , 15-18 January 2001. India:

Thesis

Shetty, Sowmya (2011). Understanding the reliability of all-ceramic zirconia restorations. PhD Thesis, Kings College London, University of London, University of London.