Synopsis
Dental decay is one of the most preventable and consequential conditions of childhood. The health of children’s teeth is an important public health and clinical issue for dental and non-dental health practitioners alike, and has far reaching effects throughout life. For example, extraction of teeth is one of the most common reasons children receive a general anaesthetic, and poor oral health is linked to heart disease, poor outcomes in diabetes, stroke, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and chronic kidney disease. Some children are at higher risk of poor oral health, including children living in poverty, and children with chronic, complex illnesses and developmental disabilities.
Speakers
Professor Sharon Goldfeld is a paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) and Co-Group leader of Child Health Policy, Equity and Translation at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. She has a decade of experience in state government as a senior policymaker. Her research focuses on investigating, testing and translating sustainable policy relevant solutions that eliminate inequities for Australia’s children, and this includes oral health.

Dr Kerrod Hallett is Director of Dentistry at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Originally from Queensland, he trained in research and dentistry in the US and Melbourne, before being on staff at RCH for 21 years. His research interests include risk factors for early childhood caries, children with chronic medical conditions, and the clinical application of antimicrobial agents to control dental caries in children.

We are most grateful to Kerrod for stepping up after our overseas speaker, Dr Patricia Lucas’ flight from Singapore was delayed yesterday on her way to Melbourne.