A University of Sheffield researcher has been recognised with a prestigious national award for her work exploring minimally invasive treatments for tooth decay in young children.
Laura Timms, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry at the University, has been awarded the British Society for Oral and Dental Research (BSODR) Presidents’ Prize. This prize recognises Laura as an early career researcher who has excelled in the early stages of her research career and made a significant contribution to basic, translational or clinical dental research.
Laura’s research focuses on minimally invasive ways to prevent and manage tooth decay in young children, an approach that could help make dental treatment less invasive and more acceptable for children and their families.
Her work has explored children’s understanding and engagement with treatment, how acceptable these approaches are to parents and children, and how new treatments could be implemented from policy, professional and public perspectives.
She has also investigated the practicalities of delivering treatment and running clinical trials in primary dental care, a complex environment in which to conduct research.
Laura’s pre- and post-doctoral research in this area has been supported by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry. Her doctoral research was funded through an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship.
As part of the prize, Laura was invited to deliver a lecture at the BSODR conference in Manchester, where she shared her research with a diverse audience of dental researchers. Laura said: “This opportunity gave me a chance to reflect on the progress made through my research, as well as consider the questions that remain unanswered.”
Laura said: “It is fantastic and a real honour to be recognised by the British Society of Oral and Dental Research for this prize.. I would also like to acknowledge all the members of the public, patients, dental professionals and research teams who have supported me to deliver it, and of course the funders – NIHR, BSPD and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.”
Laura is now building on this work through two new studies funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Academy of Medical Sciences, which will further investigate prevention and minimally invasive management of tooth decay in dental practice.
She hopes the research will help develop approaches that can be effectively delivered in everyday dental care and ultimately improve experiences and outcomes for children affected by tooth decay.