DrSmitha Sukumar

Smitha is a practising general dentist and clinician‑scientist who leads the Oral Microbiome Research Stream, one of the three founding streams of the Oral Health Innovations Node at the Charles Perkins Centre. Her work brings together oral microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and systemic health, undertaken within a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, and social scientists. She combines expertise in microbial genomics with post graduate clinical training in restorative dentistry (MSc in Conservative Dentistry with Distinction, UCL Eastman Dental Institute; Fellow by examination, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons). Her work promotes antimicrobial stewardship through research, invited commentary, media engagement, and national and international presentations. She is committed to developing the next generation of AMR‑aware clinicians through research‑led, clinically grounded dental education.

Smitha is a Senior Lecturer at Sydney Dental School where she teaches across undergraduate, postgraduate, and specialist programs. She leads a unique learning space (Treatment Planning Discipline) dedicated to integrated learning and holistic patient management in the Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program. Smitha’s educational leadership has driven substantive curriculum and assessment reform, including the development of authentic, multidisciplinary digital assessment platforms that reduce student assessment burden while enhancing rigour and alignment with real‑world clinical practice. Her teaching and education research has resulted in measurable improvements in student experience and educator capability and has been formally recognised with the award of Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK in 2026.

Smitha’s expertise in clinical teaching and dental education is nationally recognised through her professional leadership roles, including Chief Examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Fellowship (General Dentistry) and as Co‑Chair of the Scientific Committee for the Australian Dental Congress 2027.