Dr Kim Gear

MMedSci, MBChB, BDS, BSC (Hons)

Kim is an Oral Medicine Consultant specialising in the diagnosis and management of oral manifestations of systemic disease.

Having completed a Science Degree majoring in Microbiology at the University of Otago in 1994, Kim also undertook a Dental Degree. This was followed by two years as an Oral and Maxillofacial House Surgeon at Waikato Hospital. Kim developed a particular interest in Head and Neck Cancers and Oral Medicine and completed her Medical Training at the University of Auckland Medical School in 2005. In 2007, Kim undertook her Master of Medical Science in Oral Medicine with a dissertation on the Quality of Life in Patients treated for Head and Neck Malignancies in 2007.

Kim presents across the dental and medical sector on oral medical conditions. From 2015-2019 she was part of the University of Auckland Department of Surgery Research Group studying the oral microbiome. The team studied the premalignant and malignant oral lesion and the influence of the oral microbiome in radiation therapy induced oral mucositis. Over COVID, interests diversified into PPE, and more recently she has become interested in E- cigarettes and what the implications are for not only oral health, but general health and the potential implications for the wider health sector.

Kim currently sees and manages general Oral Medicine clinical cases at Mercy Ascot Head and Neck Service and the Oral Health Unit at Greenlane Hospital, Auckland.