Dr Manjunath Rajashekhar ~ Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry and Dental Public Health

Dr. Manjunath Rajashekhar joined the College of Medicine & Dentistry, James Cook University, Australia as a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry and Dental Public Health in 2021. He works as The Director of the Simulation Clinic. Dr. Manju completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Master of Dental Surgery in the specialty of Preventative and Dental Public Health from prestigious universities in India. He started his teaching career as a lecturer in the specialty of Orthodontics and then as a general dentist in private practice. He worked as an Assistant Professor before he moved to New Zealand. He currently holds an Adjunct Professor position at Yenepoya University, India. He has extensive teaching experience (undergraduates and postgraduates) and research. He has presented papers at various national and international conferences and was awarded with best paper presentations in India and Australia. He is the first Public Health Dentist awarded with Diplomate of National Board in the specialty of Dental Public Health from the Government of India. Manju serves as an independent reviewer for PhD students from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India.

Dr Manju completed his New Zealand Dental Registration Examination and started working in a private dental practice in Auckland. He also completed a Post-graduate Diploma in Public Health with Distinction from The University of Auckland before he moved to Australia. In 2013 he moved to Cairns where he worked as a Dental Officer at Wuchopperen Health Services. He was the runner-up for the Best Dentist Award two times from the North Queensland Public Health Network (NQPHN). He worked collaboratively with other specialty health providers to meet the oral health needs of the Indigenous population. He was awarded the Membership of the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons (MRACDS) in the specialty of Dental Public Health. Dr Manju also started his private dental practice and provided oral health care to the population with a philosophy of prevention and health promotion.

Dr Manju is doing his Masters of Dental Public Health from The University of Sydney. His project is on mapping the dental services provided by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCHOs) across Australia and investigating the barriers and enablers to integrate oral health services in their existing primary health care services. 

Dr Manju's current research interest aligns to:

1. Indigenous oral health

2. Fluoride in dentistry

3. Rural and regional oral health services - barriers and enablers

Manju is open for collaboration and team supervision for HDR students and Honours

Teaching

• DS1101: Dental Science 1 (Level 1; CNS)
• DS1102: Dental Science 2 (Level 1; CNS)
• DS2101: Simulated Clinical Dentistry 1 (Level 2; CNS)
• DS2102: Simulated Clinical Dentistry 2 (Level 2; CNS)
• DS3101: Introduction to Clinical Dentistry (Level 3; CNS)
• DS3102: Clinical Dentistry 1 (Level 3; CNS)
• DS4101: Clinical Dentistry 2 (Level 4; CNS)
• DS4102: Clinical Dentistry 3 (Level 4; CNS)
• DS5101: Clinical Practice 1 (Comprehensive Oral Care) (Level 5; CNS)
• DS5102: Clinical Practice 2 (Comprehensive Oral Care) (Level 5; CNS)

Experience

• 2021 to 2022 - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2017 to 2022 - Principal Dentist, Clifton Family Dental (Cairns)
• 2013 to 2021 - Dental Officer, Wuchopperen Health Services (Cairns)
• 2008 to 2013 - General Dentist, Everglade Dental and Pacifica Dental Care (Auckland)
• 2004 to 2006 - Assistant Professor, Yenepoya Dental College (India)
• 1999 to 2001 - Lecturer, Bapuji Dental College & Hospital (India)

Research Disciplines

• Dentistry (3203)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Teaching and curriculum (1603)

Awards

• 2017 - People Choice Award for paper presentation - Cairns and Hinterland Research Symposium
• 2006 - Diplomate of National Board in the speciality of Dental Public Health
• 2005 - Best poster award at Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry, Chennai, India
• 2005 - Best paper award at Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry, Chennai, India

Memberships

• Indian Dental Association
• International Association of Dental Research
• Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry
• 2016 - Member of Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons (MRACDS) in the speciality of Dental Public Health

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Other research outputs

• Rajashekhar M, Jennings E, Abbott J and Thomson P (2022) Making it real: stimulation in the simulation clinic. Faculty Dental Journal, 13 (2). pp. 82-88
• Manjunath R and Hiremath S (2005) Assessment of caries pattern among 6-14 years school children in low, optimal and high fluoride areas in Tumkur district in Karnataka. Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry, 2005 (5). pp. 17-19

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Evaluation of 3D Modeling Workflows Using Dental CBCT Data for Periodontal Regenerative Treatment (PhD , External Advisor)