Claudia Lopez Silva

Claudia Lopez Silva is a Clinical Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Special Needs Dentistry at the University of Queensland's School of Dentistry. She specializes in dental care for vulnerable populations including patients with disabilities, elderly individuals in aged care, and Indigenous communities. Her research focuses on innovative interventions such as silver fluoride treatments for dental caries arrest, teledentistry applications in residential care facilities, and oral health assessment tools for aged care settings.

Her work bridges clinical practice and public health, addressing systemic barriers to dental care access for marginalized groups. Notable contributions include a randomized trial evaluating silver fluoride efficacy in special needs patients, a pilot study on real-time teledentistry feasibility, and national surveys analyzing dental attendance disparities among disabled children and Indigenous populations.

Dr. Lopez Silva collaborates across disciplines, involving oral health therapists and nursing home staff in Singapore to improve geriatric oral care. Her research has been recognized with the 'Best Presentation Award' at the 2021 UG Dental Student Conference for work on Indigenous child dental caries patterns. Current projects emphasize co-design approaches to oral health assessment tools and interprofessional collaboration in aged care dentistry.