Professor Anthony Blinkhorn

Biography

Professor Anthony Blinkhorn OBE is NSW Chair of Population Oral Health at NSW Health and the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Dentistry. He is anHonorary visiting Professor at the Universities of NSW and Newcastle, Australia, and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester, UK. Professor Blinkhorn is a distinguished paediatric dentist with extensive experience in dental education, the management of paediatric dentistry services, preventive dentistry, and research. Prior to arriving in Australia he held senior academic and clinical positions at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester and was an adviser to the Scottish and English Departments of Health. He was Dean and Clinical Director of Manchester University Dental School and the Greater Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust from 2000-2006. His varied research interests include behavioural science, dental health promotion and education, clinical trials, epidemiology, health services research, and dental care of disadvantaged communities. He has extensive clinical experience in Special Needs Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry. He was responsible for consultant paediatric dental services at three Children’s Hospitals in Manchester where he led the care of children with medical or physical problems and those with learning difficulties. He also worked with the Cleft Lip and Palate team, piloting an innovative preventive programme. Professor Blinkhorn was awarded the OBE in 2005 for his work in establishing clinical dental services for sick children at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. A firm believer that some of the best learning happens outside the dental school environment, he pioneered and studied the benefits of outreach dental education programs at Manchester University where students were provided the opportunity to spend time in real-world clinical practice. Subsequently, as Chair of the UK Government’s review of Dental Education as part of the Options for Change review of British Dentistry, he supported major changes in undergraduate dental education by incorporating more clinical experience in the primary care setting. Similarly, in Australia, he has established rural outreach dental education training programs in NSW and is evaluating the impact of the rural placements on both, the rural communities and dental students. During his time at the University of Sydney Professor Blinkhorn has worked with NSW Local Health Districts conducting statewide postgraduate training programs, and as Head of the Department of Population Oral Health he oversees a number of research streams including monitoring water fluoridation in parts of NSW and evaluation of a novel program aimed at improving the dental health of Aboriginal children. This program, Smiles not Tears, is delivered by Aboriginal Health Workers in their local communities. Professor Blinkhorn has been awarded two Distinguished Scientist Awards from the International Association of Dental Research (2007 and 2011) in recognition of his significant contributions to oral health research.

Research Interest

The Department of Population Oral Health has a number of research themes, including improving the oral health of Aboriginal children and utilising the services of Aboriginal Health Workers to deliver sustainable programs. The research is supported by Grants from NHMRC, OATSIH, Dental Council of New South Wales, and the Centre for Oral Health Strategy (NSW Health).   He is leading a process and outcome evaluation of a family-centered Aboriginal community oral health program (Smiles not Tears) that has been developed in close consultation with a number of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) familiar with the oral health needs of Aboriginal communities. The program is being implemented by Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) who provide regular oral health advice to local families, oral health products including toothbrushes and fluoride toothpastes, screen for signs of early childhood caries, and facilitate referral to dental health services as required. The program has been designed based on high-quality evidence derived from large population- based randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. The important research questions are whether non-dental primary health care personnel can implement the oral health program, and the extent to which this will lead to changes in oral health care behaviours, improved oral health-related quality of life and reduced caries experience of young children. Process evaluation will determine the acceptability, feasibility and sustainability of the implementation of this program through qualitative interviews with participating family carers, Aboriginal Health Workers and ACCHS senior managers. Outcome evaluation will measure changes in oral health care behaviours, oral health related quality of life and caries experience. Other research includes a water fluoridation surveillance program, an evaluation of rural placements for dental students, and investigating the feeding patterns of toddlers living in socioeconomically deprived areas of Sydney.