Nicola Kilpatrick

Associate Professor Nicola Kilpatrick is an Associate Professor in Paediatrics at the Melbourne Dental School within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She holds a BDS from the University of Birmingham, UK (1985), a PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (1993) on the durability of restorative materials in children, FDS RCPS from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (1989), and FRACDS in Paediatric Dentistry from the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (2007). Her career includes two years as a resident in oral surgery post-graduation, specialist training in paediatric dentistry at the Eastman Dental Hospital and Guy's Hospital in London, and serving as Senior Lecturer and Head of the Discipline of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Sydney. In 1999, she relocated to Melbourne to become Director of Dentistry at the Royal Children's Hospital, a position she held while advancing clinical practice, teaching, and research. She also serves as Clinical Lead of the Cleft Program at the Royal Children's Hospital and Senior Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

Kilpatrick's research specializations centre on paediatric dentistry, encompassing dental enamel defects, caries detection using innovative methods such as intraoral scanners and deep learning, oral health inequalities in children, genetic and environmental influences on caries risk via twin studies, and dental characteristics in cleft lip and palate conditions. Key publications include her co-editorship of the book Planning and Care for Children and Adolescents with Dental Enamel Defects: Etiology, Research and Contemporary Management (2015), and peer-reviewed papers such as 'Dental caries detection in children using intraoral scans and deep learning' (2024), 'Genetic and early-life environmental influences on dental caries risk - a twin study' (2019), and 'Expanding the cleft phenotype: the dental characteristics of unaffected parents of Australian children with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate' (2014). She has published extensively, with contributions to oral microbiome studies and interventions for early childhood caries prevention. Awards include the Career Development Award (2002), Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2024 for significant service to paediatric dentistry and professional associations, and leadership roles such as President of the Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry. Her work has influenced clinical guidelines, education, and technological advancements in children's oral health outcomes.

Professional Email: nicola.kilpatrick@rch.org.au