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Background or statement of the problem. Acrylic polymers, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), are widely used in the fabrication of removable dental prostheses due to their numerous advantages. These include adequate physical, mechanical, and aesthetic properties, low cost, easy fabrication, and biocompatibility. However, the lack of antimicrobial effects in denture base resins (DBRs) has garnered significant interest among dental researchers, particularly because PMMA lacks the ability to resist antimicrobial activity. Specifically, a recurring oral condition such as Candida-associated denture stomatitis (CADS) is difficult to eliminate because disease-causing yeast bacteria or fungi can penetrate the denture base materials. Furthermore, three-dimensional (3D) printing is rapidly emerging at the forefront of digital technology and permeating the dental profession, expanding treatment options for patients, such as fabricating dental prostheses. However, the surface properties of 3D printed materials have posed challenges in both general medicine and dentistry, primarily due to the potential for microbial adhesion to the material surface. To address this issue and mitigate the formation of biofilms on denture surfaces, previous studies have explored the incorporation of organic or inorganic antibacterial and antifungal agents into DBRs. Building upon this body of research, this study utilised phytochemical substances such as microencapsulated plant essential oils in 3D printing denture base materials. Objectives. The objectives of this project were: i. to incorporate microcapsules, containing biodegradable essential oil, into two 3D printed DBRs and investigate their effects on the physical and mechanical properties of the materials to ISO standards, ii. investigate the antimicrobial activity of the resulting materials, and to iii. investigate the cytotoxicity of the microcapsules. [...], Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Medicine & Dentistry, Griffith Health, Full Text

Occupational stress can impact adversely on individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and have occupational consequences. Dentistry professionals can experience significantly higher levels of occupational stress, and poorer wellbeing, than other health professionals. Previous research on occupational stress among dentistry professionals has demonstrated differences by individual-level personal and professional characteristics, identified work content and work context sources of occupational stress, and indicated that dentists may not be able to relieve their stress properly. Previous research has, however, focused on dentistry clinicians and students, and less is known about dentistry academics who are likely to have different correlates and sources of occupational stress given differences in their occupational role. Therefore, this research program aimed to investigate occupational stress and wellbeing among dentistry academics including individual-level personal and professional characteristics associated with poor wellbeing, common sources of occupational stress and associations with poor wellbeing, and self-care activities and associations with wellbeing. This research program used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of academics in dentistry departments across nine universities in Australia and New Zealand. The thesis comprises three quantitative studies and examined data from an online survey to assess wellbeing, personal and professional characteristics, perfectionism, work content and context sources of occupational stress, and self-care activities. Data were analysed using multiple regression. A total of 119 people consented to the online survey, with 94 (78.9%) providing complete data. The average age of respondents was 50 (±11.7) years, 56.8% were men, and 67% had more than 10 years’ experience as an academic. Results demonstrated poor wellbeing among this group of dentistry academics, with an average score on the iii Psycholo, Thesis (Masters), Master of Philosophy (MPhil), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith Health, Full Text

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Dentistry&Oral Hlth, Griffith Health, Students in diverse health programs taught separately from each other with a focus on profession ‘specific’ content rather than comprehensive collaborative patient care promotes a limited understanding of and respect for the collaborative role of different health professionals when undertaking treatment planning and patient-centred care. This may result in oral health graduates educated within a uniprofessional context becoming ill-prepared to manage patients with complex conditions that require collaboration with different oral health professionals (OHPs) through a team-based patient-centred approach. As the potential value of interprofessional education (IPE) is strongly advocated in the literature, the Griffith University School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) introduced the interprofessional teams-based treatment planning (TBTP) process in 2009 to address these educational challenges and facilitate IPE. The TBTP process incorporated student practice teams and an expansion of peer learning through collaboration between students enrolled in three different oral health programs, namely dentistry, dental technology and oral health therapy. It was perceived that shared learning, understanding of complementary knowledge, collaborative participation in managing patient care, and having knowledge/respect for each professions’ role were all necessary to improve communication and teamwork skills in a pre-qualification context in readiness for collaborative oral health practice. However, a systematic evaluation of the TBTP process, its contribution to student clinical learning and experiences, and whether those experiences contributed to advancing interprofessional competencies and capabilities at DOH has not been conducted since its commencement. This thesis documents an evaluation that researched the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of students, clinical teaching staff, patients and newly graduated OHPs involved with the TBTP process at DOH between 2012 and 2015