Colgate-Palmolive today announced it had awarded the inaugural Colgate-Michael Bubb Memorial Scholarship to Dr Srdjan Diklich, a PhD student at The University of Queensland.
The national scholarship - $25,000 per annum, to assist a dental graduate to undertake a full-time PhD degree in Preventative Dentistry - was established to honour the memory of Michael Bubb, the Colgate-Palmolive executive killed in a plane crash in Papua New Guinea last year.
Mr Bubb was General Manager of Colgate-Palmolive's PNG division. Mr Bubb was widely known and esteemed by leading Australian dental schools, dental professionals and general practitioners. Well respected and liked by his colleagues throughout the Asia Pacific region, he was pivotal in making the Professional Oral Care division of Colgate-Palmolive the success it is today.
The scholarship recipient, Dr Diklich, will use the scholarship to research the use of low-power laser technology to determine whether it can detect tooth decay sooner than conventional methods. He was a pioneer in the use of laser technology at Belgrade University in his home country Yugoslavia.
Current detection is based on visual, probing or radiographic procedures, with visual methods preferred because they are non-destructive to the tooth and non-hazardous to the patient. Dr Diklich hopes to prove that laser fluorescence (laser technology) methods will provide the best, non-invasive and cost effective method of decay detection.
Colgate-Palmolive Managing Director, Mr Chris Pedersen said, "As decay is Australia's most common dental disease, and is responsible for the majority of tooth loss, there are enormous benefits in early diagnosis and treatment.
"It's well known that the timely application of fluoride may stop or reverse the effects of decay, and reduce the need for irreversible restorative procedures.
"Colgate-Palmolive is committed to supporting advances in dental procedures that are both patient-friendly and reduce the overall cost of providing dental health to the community," Mr Pedersen said.
Professor Greg Seymour, Head of the School of Dentistry at Queensland University, said "The University is delighted that one of its students has received the inaugural Colgate-Michael Bubb Memorial Scholarship.
"I congratulate Colgate-Palmolive on this initiative. Dental research in Australia is strongly supported by the dental industry and this scholarship is an excellent example of that support," Professor Seymour said.
"The use of low-cost laser technology for diagnosis will be extremely beneficial to the dental industry. These methods are safer and can be used more frequently than is possible with dental X-rays. They can also be applied in situations where dental X-rays are inappropriate, such as treating pregnant women."
"In spite of the benefits there is limited clinical information available on the advantages of laser diagnostic methods to improve the early detection of decay," he said.
As part of Dr Diklich's study, patients with high decay rates will be recruited from the Dental School's clinics. Mineral levels in decay lesions will be monitored continuously for six months using laser florescence methods, while patients undergo a comprehensive home care program.
Dr Diklich became involved in the application of advanced technologies in 1984, first in laser physics and then as a dental clinician and researcher. He has used laser and other technologies in his practice and at the University of Belgrade Clinic for Preventative Dentistry, and worked with hi-tech companies in Europe and North America over the past seven years.
"I'm interested in combining research and its clinical application. I intend to dedicate myself to an academic career, and this is why I have come to the University of Queensland to undertake a PhD," Dr Diklich said.
"I believe applying new techniques will dramatically improve dental health in Australia. The early diagnosis of dental disease is imperative for disease prevention and control, and in reducing health care costs," he said.
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