Dr Dorothy Boyd

Dorothy Boyd is a Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry. She currently runs a specialist private practice as well as working part-time as a senior lecturer in the University of Otago. Originally from Northern Ireland, she completed BDS in Edinburgh in 1989, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1993. She moved with her family to New Zealand in 1998, and completed a Master’s in Paediatric Dentistry (with distinction) at the University of Otago in 2000. She undertook training in hypnosis in 2006 and 2010, and developed an interest in the language used in interactions with children and families in oral health care.

Dorothy has just completed a PhD on outcomes of dental treatment in primary oral health care, with a focus on the Hall Technique for placing stainless steel crowns, and on children’s self-reported pain and anxiety. Although she enjoys her work, her loves are family, friends, being immersed in the outdoors, and creative writing.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the prevalence of dental caries in the primary dentition is on the increase. Why is this happening, and what can we do about it? What might be the roles of oral health practitioners, general health practitioners, and society at large in reducing the burden of oral disease in childhood? This is a time of change in our health system, and so it is timely to consider these questions and more. Working alone we know we make a difference in the lives of children; working together, that difference can be huge. In this lecture we will consider some of the problems, and some possible solutions.