DentalWords

❓How long does it take you to read, synthesise and apply the findings from a research paper into your clinical practice?

💡16 minutes

I recently came across a fantastic podcast featuring our article on the use of AI in Australian dental and healthcare.

Dr Melanie Aley did a wonderful job unpacking the key findings and translating them into practical bite-sized pieces (couldn’t help it) for dental clinical practice.

Here is one of her prompts to kickstart your 16-minute listen:

“Think about a recent moment in your clinical practice where a digital or AI-enabled tool influenced your assessment or planning. How did you verify its output, and what steps can you take to ensure your clinical judgement, rather than the software, remains the primary driver of decision-making?”

The link to the podcast and article is in my bio. Happy listening 🙂.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the things we accept as common practice today was once considered impossible if not disruptive. And to disrupt, it takes courage, passion and perseverance. A big thanks to Liam and the team from for bringing an original disruptor, to Sydney for a one-off event. Two days jam packed with 30 years of knowledge, experience, expertise and courage. It was a whirlwind trip to Sydney that was filled with knowledge-building, serendipitous catch ups (always the best) with people who share the same passions and joys.. with some pictured and others not. .lydiasee .samkoh .

A big thank you to the deadly Dr Ren Perkins for taking time out of his busy and inspiring life to yarn with our future dental practitioners 🖤💛❤️

We yarned about how to work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to build resilience, strengthen relationships, and support oral health in ways that are meaningful and respectful.

Ren is a passionate educator who champions thoughtful education and works to create more opportunities for our First Nations students to enter tertiary education and professional practice. Because representation matters after all … we can’t be what we can’t see.

He’s also recently published an article on education reforms that engage children, families, and communities early, helping build capability across the lifespan. You can look it up on .aunz website under the title,’There’s a new plan to help First Nations students from daycare to uni. What does it need to work?’

Here’s to lifelong learning, strong communities, trust, and more deadly health practitioners ✨

If you’re curious about how to make your dental work last longer, join me for my webinar. I will explain what happens to the structure and quality of our teeth as we age and, with this context, discuss how to help your patients keep their teeth for longer — and for you to remain a star in their eyes. ⭐️

Who: Dr Arosha Weerakoon, hosted by the Australian Dental Association Queensland Branch
What: Webinar — How to help patients keep their teeth for longer
Where: Online (ADA Queensland Branch)
When: Thursday, March 19 | 6–7 pm EST
Why: To better understand age-related changes in tooth structure and support long-term patient outcomes
Cost: Free to Australian Dental Association Members, and $55 to non-member practitioners.

Register and RSVP by: March 18 via the link in the bio.

PreventiveDentistry LifelongOralHealth ClinicalDentistry DentalCPD ContinuingProfessionalDevelopment AustralianDentist ADAQ DentalWebinar EvidenceBasedDentistry DentalProfession OralHealthPromotion

What a privilege to have shared oral health promotion and education messages with so many people from Australia, and around the world.

I’ve now reached over 912,000 reads.

Some highlights so far include:
- Translation into Arabic, Danish, Indonesian and Japanese (that I know of).
- Media engagements with BBC, ABC, Slate Magazine and Radio New Zealand.
- Open-access publication and republication through Creative Commons, enabling broad public access.
- Topics spanning TikTok trends, water fluoridation, and caring for your teeth as we age.

I am grateful to have a platform to communicate, reach and help so many people.

🔗 To read and share the articles, please click on the link in my bio.

When you’re in Hong Kong, and see teeth everywhere 🦷

1. M+ Art Gallery - giant mandible (partial anyway)
2. Lots of unassuming dental practices with no wild promises or heavy marketing.
3. Colgate!
4. When you see past the wall of stickers.. to find.
5. EMS.
6. Playdoh Dentist anyone?

AI is not merely a productivity tool. Used judiciously, it can help mitigate inequity, an overarching aim that guides my intentions in practice and in life, shaped recently through a thoughtful conversation with a colleague.

Yesterday, I was humbled and thrilled to receive a ‘Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Learning’ at the s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences Faculty Awards.

My citation: “AI-assisted resources enhance dental student engagement, accessibility and critical thinking skills to promote holistic patient care.”

A heartfelt thank you to Dr Sowmya Shetty for opening my eyes to this opportunity, and for her unwavering support behind the scenes. Sowmya, you embody the true spirit of leadership, lifting others as you rise, and I am grateful to be part of your generosity.

To A/Prof Rachel Fitzgerald, thank you for pioneering a project that captured the work of academics across diverse disciplines, including my own on the use of AI in higher education, and for your wholehearted endorsement for this award.

If you are interested, we contributed to an open-access book showcasing AI-enhanced teaching in higher education. The link is in my bio. .

To Professor Saso Ivanovski, thank you for supporting my nomination, and for embracing change and giving us the space to explore, experiment and navigate what it means to educate our future colleagues in an AI-enabled world.

And finally, to my students, my future colleagues, thank you. One day we will work alongside each other in a profession that will look very different from today. I hope my contributions, however small, help support your life, your learning and your career.

My fabulous dental family. Celebrating our fourth Christmas together with a few originals and some welcome new additions; we have so much to be grateful for. I am grateful to work with such wonderful, dedicated and kind people who come together to care for our community. I am grateful for where we started and where we are now, and I know we couldn’t deliver the kind of care that resonates with us, without each and every person in this photo. Collectively, this crew makes me happy to come to work each day. Thank you all for another great year.

🔍 Can AI help transform regional and remote dentistry?

This was the central question in my recent interview, alongside Tami Yap, with Stephen Downie for the November issue of Bite Magazine.

The article considers how AI-enabled tools may strengthen remote health monitoring and expand capacity for distance-style education to help rural and remote residents access healthcare degrees more easily.

It also explores the tensions between automation and depersonalisation, while considering accuracy and whether our AI-tools are fit-for-purpose before adopting for patient care. Many thanks to Tami for the shared insight into an AI-assistive future.

I drew some perspectives as a practitioner who has worked in regional Queensland, and from the case study, “Designing with AI: Exploring inclusive and patient-centred learning in Dentistry”, I recently published in the book, ‘Inquiry in Action: Using AI to Reimagine Learning and Teaching’, edited by Rachel Fitzgerald with editorial design by John Raiti.

To find out more, you can read the link to the article in my bio.

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90 years of shaping amazing dental practitioners. I am so grateful to be part of it all. Grateful to have graduated from , and I love being part of the journey of my future colleagues. All that, with my current colleagues. A special tribute to my Uni teacher mates who make this job so special.