GETTING THE CONVERSATION GOING ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH AND CHRONIC CONDITIONS
With
Dr Carol Tran, Oral Health Therapist &
Scientific Program Chair,
Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA) Congress &
Past President, Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) &
Co-director, Oral Health Home
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Brisbane | September 2025
Dr. Carol Tran is an Oral Health Therapist and co-founder of Oral Health Home, an organisation focused on innovative, prevention-oriented oral health education and outreach. She is a Past President of Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) and currently is the Scientific Program Chair, for upcoming congress in October 2025, for the newly formed Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA).
A pivotal moment in Dr. Tran’s career was her leadership work with the DHAA. Throughout her tenure, she has served as a Director and President, leading national advocacy strategies and chairing committees on governance and special needs dentistry. One of her major achievements was successfully campaigning for oral health therapists, dental hygienists, and dental therapists to receive provider numbers, enabling them to be recognised as Medicare health care providers in their own right. This experience helped shape her belief in the potential for oral health practitioners to drive broader healthcare reform, ultimately inspiring her to co-found Oral Health Home.
Dr. Tran enjoys making oral health accessible and meaningful, particularly for often-overlooked communities. Currently, she is piloting a chewing and oral hypofunction program in aged care that uses technology to enhance residents’ oral function, alongside collaborating with CSIRO on food engineering research. She observes a growing awareness of the connection between oral health and overall wellness, but acknowledges ongoing challenges such as workforce shortages and fragmented funding. For those looking to enter this sector, she advises aspiring professionals to advocate, innovate, and think beyond traditional clinical roles.
Source: Adapted from supplied text
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Inaugural Rural and Remote Health Awards
Rural communities are a foundation of the economy and society and must be kept healthy.
There are significant personal, professional and financial rewards for rural healthcare professionals. However, there are also challenges – isolation, long hours, confusion about where to turn for support.
To acknowledge and celebrate the work of Rural and Remote Health Professionals, Rural Health Pro have launched the inaugural National Rural and Remote Health Awards.
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Recognising service in health regulation
In April 2023, Professor John Skerritt retired from his position of Deputy Secretary Health Products Regulation Group, a role he has been in since 2012. During his time at the TGA he had line responsibility for over 1200 staff involved in the regulation of therapeutic goods, regulation of gene technology and industrial chemicals and control of drug import, export and production.
At this year’s ARCS 2023 Conference, ARCS Australia CEO Dr Shanny Dyer paid tribute to Professor Skerritt and his service to the Australian health industry. She led a tribute with fellow industry heads, Elizabeth de Somer, CEO, Medicines Australia, Anne Harris, Managing Director, Pfizer Australia & New Zealand, Deon Schoombie, CEO, Consumer Healthcare Products Australia, Ian Burgess, CEO, Medical Technology Association of Australia and Arthur Brandwood, President ARCS Australia.
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World first in rural and remote nursing
In March 2023, the Australian Government released the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework 2023–2027. The Framework is a world first and describes the unique context of practice and core capabilities for rural and remote Registered Nurses in Australia.
The Framework was developed by the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner and Australian Health Journal spoke with National Rural Health Commissioner, Adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart, and Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner – Nursing and Midwifery, Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan, on the importance of rural and remote nursing and of the Framework itself.
