Kostas Kapellas

Biography

Kostas Kapellas is a research officer at the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), The University of Adelaide. Along with this position, he is currently Deputy Director of the Indigenous Oral Health Unit at ARCPOH. He received his Bachelor of Oral Health in 2006 and Bachelor of Sciences, Dentistry (Hons 2A) in 2009 and PhD in 2014 all from the University of Adelaide. Before commencing his postgraduate and post-doctoral research at ARCPOH, Kostas worked part-time as an oral health therapist for six years (2007 to 2012 inclusive). His honours degree involved describing the oral health status of South Australian adults with diabetes mellitus and assessing the validity of periodontal screening questions in an Australian national survey of oral health. For his PhD, Kostas investigated the relationship between periodontal disease and central arterial stiffness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the Northern Territory. Kostas has developed a passion for Indigenous Australian health research since his involvement at ARCPOH. His research interests surround how periodontal diseases potentially influence systemic infection/inflammation, specifically complications in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Kostas is currently an associate investigator on a trial investigating the effects of periodontal treatment on chronic renal disease/failure, vascular disease and diabetes among patients in Alice Springs. He is also involved in another trial known as "Baby Teeth Talk", an RCT investigating the effects of motivational interviewing on early childhood caries prevention. Kostas Kapellas is a research officer at the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), The University of Adelaide. Along with this position, he is currently Deputy Director of the Indigenous Oral Health Unit at ARCPOH. He received his Bachelor of Oral Health in 2006 and Bachelor of Sciences, Dentistry (Hons 2A) in 2009 and PhD in 2014 all from the University of Adelaide. Before commencing his postgraduate and post-doctoral research at ARCPOH, Kostas worked part-time as an oral health therapist for six years (2007 to 2012 inclusive). His honours degree involved describing the oral health status of South Australian adults with diabetes mellitus and assessing the validity of periodontal screening questions in an Australian national survey of oral health. For his PhD, Kostas investigated the relationship between periodontal disease and central arterial stiffness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the Northern Territory. Kostas has developed a passion for Indigenous Australian health research since his involvement at ARCPOH. His research interests surround how periodontal diseases potentially influence systemic infection/inflammation, specifically complications in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Kostas is currently an associate investigator on a trial investigating the effects of periodontal treatment on chronic renal disease/failure, vascular disease and diabetes among patients in Alice Springs. He is also involved in another trial known as "Baby Teeth Talk", an RCT investigating the effects of motivational interviewing on early childhood caries prevention.

Research Interest

Dental