Rare Genetic Disorders and Immune-dysregulation Research Group

The Clinical and Translational Oral and Dental Research Group brings together practicing clinician-scientists who work at the interface of laboratory discovery and patient care.

Every member is an active clinician who also supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The group's primary focus is translational research, which centers on achieving measurable clinical results and developing patentable breakthroughs that can transform dental practice. It also addresses oral and dental issues from complementary perspectives within a unified, coordinated group.

A cross-cutting priority is the responsible application of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital dentistry. Building on the members' established work in AI for endodontic diagnosis, digital imaging, and evidence appraisal, the group treats data-driven and digital technologies as a central pillar of its translational agenda — using them to sharpen diagnosis, personalize treatment, and accelerate the path from research finding to clinical tool.

The group's overarching aim is to shorten the distance between scientific discovery and clinical impact in oral and dental medicine. Its specific objectives are to:

• Design and run rigorous clinical studies — from well-controlled laboratory investigations to prospective clinical trials — that answer questions of genuine consequence for patients and practitioners.
• Generate impactful clinical outcomes by translating findings into improved diagnostic approaches, treatment protocols, and materials that can be adopted in everyday practice.
• Pursue patentable innovation, identifying and developing devices, materials, formulations, and techniques with clear intellectual-property and commercialisation potential.
• Uphold methodological and ethical rigour by applying recognised reporting and quality standards, robust study design, and sound research-ethics governance to every project.
• Build research capacity by embedding undergraduate and postgraduate students in live translational projects, mentoring the next generation of clinician-researchers.
• Foster cross-disciplinary and international collaboration, connecting dentistry with medicine, biomaterials science, and health-services research locally and abroad.
• Employ AI and digital dentistry by developing, validating, and clinically translating artificial-intelligence models, digital imaging and diagnostic tools, and digital workflows — while upholding transparent, evidence-based standards for their evaluation.

The group's activity converges on translational themes that draw on the combined expertise of its members:

• Translational and fundamental oral health research — conducting fundamental, mechanistic, and discovery-based research alongside translational studies to generate new knowledge in oral biology, disease mechanisms, biomaterials, host–microbe interactions, and tissue regeneration, providing the scientific foundation for clinical innovation.

• Endodontic materials, instrumentation, and regeneration — evaluating and improving root canal treatment through advanced imaging (micro-CT), instrument performance, disinfection strategies, and biologically driven approaches to preserving and regenerating dental pulp.
• Antimicrobial and biomaterial innovation — developing and testing antimicrobial peptides, nanoparticles, and novel formulations against oral and endodontic biofilms, with a view to translatable products.
• Periodontal and peri-implant health — advancing soft-tissue integration around implants, bone regeneration, and the interface between periodontal disease and systemic health.
• Oral medicine and oral cancer — improving early detection and management of oral mucosal diseases and potentially malignant lesions, and clarifying links between oral and general health.
• Evidence synthesis and research methodology — producing high-quality systematic reviews, clinical guidelines, and reporting standards that shape best practice and inform clinical decision-making.
• Clinical outcomes and patentable innovation — designing clinical studies whose results feed directly into improved protocols, devices, and intellectual property.

Group Collaborators

The group's translational work is strengthened by collaboration across disciplines and institutions. Members maintain research links with academic and industrial partners, including:

1. McGill University
2. University of Toronto
3. University of Melbourne
4. Monash University
5. Cardiff University
6. University of Adelaide
7. University Hospital Sharjah
8. University Dental Hospital Sharjah