Jilen Patel

Dr. Jilen Patel is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Dentistry at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Dental School and a Consultant at Perth Children’s Hospital. He holds specialist qualifications in Paediatric Dentistry and has contributed to translational research addressing oral health disparities. His work focuses on rural/remote oral health, dental caries management, and innovative technologies like optical scanning for cleft lip/palate care.

Education: BDSc (Hons) from UWA, DClinDent (Paediatric Dentistry) with clinical training at Princess Margaret Hospital. He leads the Kimberley Dental Team, providing services to remote Indigenous communities, and pioneered Australia’s first randomised controlled trial to arrest dental caries in refugee children.

Research Interests: Dental Public Health, Paediatric Dentistry, Cariology, Rural/Remote Oral Health, and Digital Design in Dentistry. He has secured grants for projects like teledentistry in Aboriginal communities and silver fluoride interventions.

Awards include the UWA Early Career Research Award (2024), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2022), and the Australian Dental Association’s Outstanding Young Dentist (2022).

Grants: Lead investigator on projects such as the HMTF-Minara Community Foundation initiative and the NHMRC-funded teledentistry study. Collaborates internationally through the International Association for Dental Research (IADR ANZ).

Labs/Teams: Cleft and Craniofacial Department at Perth Children’s Hospital, Kimberley Dental Team.