Rate My Professor Lisa Hanson

Lisa Hanson, BDS (University of Otago), is a Professional Practice Fellow in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation at the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry. Having transitioned from private dental practice, she joined the university to focus on public health and paediatric oral health initiatives. She is currently a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) candidate in Paediatric Dentistry, with Associate Professor Manikandan Ekambaram as her primary supervisor. Her academic interests include developing tools to improve oral health behaviours in preschool children and managing complex paediatric dental conditions.

Hanson's research contributions feature presentations at the Faculty of Dentistry Clinical and Research Excellence Symposium. She earned first place in the DClinDent and Masters category for her work on “ ‘Doppelgängers’ and ‘the third wheel’: Supernumerary teeth,” which details the identification, diagnosis, classification, and individualized management of supernumerary teeth—additional teeth with a prevalence of up to 3% that can cause complications such as impaction, crowding, cyst formation, and delayed eruption. Case studies include conservative extraction for a supplemental supernumerary in a 7-year-old and surgical removal under general anaesthesia for inverted and erupted supernumeraries. She also presented “A story to smile about: A tool to enhance preschool oral health.” In community service, Hanson co-leads the Sunday dental clinics, providing free care to adults with chronic oral neglect referred from Dunedin’s Servants Health Centre, and runs a whānau oral health programme promoting family-centered care.