2OO9 – 2O1O - Faculty of Dentistry - University of Otago

W MURRAY THOMSON
MA (Leeds) BSc BDS MComDent (Otago) PhD (Adel) FICD
FADI
Oral Sciences
Professor
Professor Thomson conducts research in the broad
fields of dental epidemiology, dental public health and
dental health services research. His work is currently
cited more than 300 times a year, and his h index is 23. In
2010, Professor Thomson was awarded an international
Distinguished Scientist Award (the H Trendley Dean
Award) by the IADR, and received the Sir John Walsh
Research Award from the SJWRI. In 2009, he received
Australasia’s most prestigious IADR award (the Alan
Docking medal) for his contribution to oral sciences and
research. To date, his published output includes 179 papers
in the peer-reviewed international scientific literature (25
in 2009-10). Professor Thomson has received research
funding from the US National Institutes of Health (2 grants
as PI) and the NZ Health Research Council.
Research and Collaborations
Professor Thomson’s research work is in the areas of (1)
dental epidemiological research and (2) dental health
services research. Dental epidemiological research covers
the occurrence, determinants and natural history of
the common oral conditions. To do this, he employs a
number of standard dental epidemiological approaches
(most notably the prospective cohort study and the
cross-sectional survey) and techniques. Dental health
services research (HSR) is concerned with how the dental
healthcare system works, and the extent to which users
are benefitting from it. Since 1996, Professor Thomson has
been the dental principal investigator in the renowned
Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study.
In that role, he has the privilege of working with some of
the world’s finest researchers in human development. It is
a rare day indeed that he does not learn something new.
Recent Publications
Mohamed AR, Thomson WM, Mackay TD. An
epidemiological comparison of Dean’s index and the
Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) index. Journal of
Public Health Dentistry 70: 344-347 (2010).
Sussex PV, Thomson WM, Fitzgerald RP. Understanding
the “epidemic” of complete tooth loss among older New
Zealanders. Gerodontology 27: 85-95 (2010).
54 FACULTY OF DENTISTRY RESEARCH REPORT 2009-2010
Thomson WM, Williams SM, Broadbent JM, Poulton R,
Locker D. Long-term dental visiting patterns and adult oral
health. Journal of Dental Research 89: 307-311 (2010).
Thomson WM, Broadbent JM, Poulton R, Locker D.
Trajectories of dental anxiety in a birth cohort. Community
Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 37: 209-219 (2009).