Global outlook on oral health challenges for 21st century

Professor John Spencer
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Thursday, 14 July 2011

The University of Adelaide will today host some of the world's leading dental experts at a two-day meeting to discuss the greatest oral health challenges of this century.

Fourteen international speakers and nine national health experts will present the latest information on population oral health, ways to reduce the disease burden and make dental health more equitable.

Fifty participants from the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia will also honour the 35-year career of University of Adelaide Professor John Spencer, a leading international oral health expert who is retiring in coming months.

Professor Spencer has stepped down as Director of the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health at the University of Adelaide, the country's pre-eminent dental research body which he has led since its inception in 2001.

"Professor Spencer has spearheaded a whole range of dental services and oral health policy in Australia aimed at preventing oral diseases and improving the dental health of Australians. He has also published more than 200 refereed scientific papers in this period," according to Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mike Brooks.

The visiting delegates will discuss a range of oral health issues on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 July at the National Wine Centre. Topics will include:

• Shaping the next generation of oral health professionals;
  
• The future for population oral health monitoring;
  
• Social inequality in oral health;
  
• Building the links between surveillance, research and policy, and practice;
  
• Reforming public dental services;
  
• Common risk factors for oral diseases

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