The School of Dentistry at The University of Queensland has a long standing history of quality dental and oral research. The School continues to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge both locally and internationally, and performs exceptionally well in benchmarking exercises.
Our research covers a broad spectrum of dental practice, and includes research by academic and research staff, postgraduate students, and honours & undergraduate students. Publications resulting from this research demonstrate the high quality of the work carried out at the School.
We have recently assumed a new operational plan, and have adopted 3 key strategic research themes which form the core of its research efforts. These will drive the development of strategically focused research programs, and will consolidate the School’s research strengths into the future. These themes are:
- Diagnosis and prevention of oral disease
- Dental biomaterials and advanced technologies
- Oral and systemic health interactions
These themes are embodied and undertaken in the form of Research Programs. Research Programs are defined as large collaborative research projects, which typically are researched by teams consisting of senior and junior academics, postdoctoral research fellows, and Research Higher degree and Honours students. Each researcher investigates an aspect of a larger problem with their insights contributing to the resolution of the larger problem under the coordination and guidance of the research program leader. The research leader’s role in formulating the research program, managing the team’s research, and drawing together the threads of the answer are critical.
The School currently supports 5 Research Programs which include:
- Paediatric Caries
- Oral Cancer
- Efficient Effective Endodontics
- Applied Dental Biomaterials
- Oral Inflammation and Atherosclerosis
Research facilities are available at the MacGregor Laboratories at St Lucia, the Biomaterials Laboratory at Turbot Street, the UQ Centre for Clinical Research at Herston, or the Prince Charles Hospital at Chermside. Research support staff are available for technical and scientific advice and guidance in some areas.
Prospective Research Higher Degree, Postgraduate & Honours students will be expected to undertake their research in one of these research programs. Students who are interested in obtaining more details about particular projects should speak to the program leaders concerned or contact the Research & Postgraduate Admin Officer.