Sonia Nath

Dr. Sonia Nath is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Adelaide Dental School within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. She works at the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health and the Indigenous Oral Health Unit, focusing on innovative research in oral microbiome and microbial gene technology.

Dr. Nath completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery and her Master of Dental Surgery (Periodontology) before earning her PhD in oral microbiome research at the Adelaide Dental School. Her doctoral work was supported by the Australian Government Research Training Programme Scholarship.

Dr. Nath's research primarily focuses on Oral Microbiome Transplantation (OMT), a novel therapy for transferring bacteria from healthy donors to recipients with oral disease. Her work aims to develop OMT for treating and preventing dental caries and periodontal disease, with plans to begin clinical trials in 2026. She is also developing a 'super donor assessment tool' using bioinformatics to select healthy donors. A significant aspect of her research involves understanding the oral microbiome in Indigenous populations and its links to chronic health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart conditions, and kidney disease. Dr. Nath has 10 years of experience in fieldwork and data collection, with 5 years specifically dedicated to engaging with Indigenous communities through culturally sensitive research practices. She led a project providing culturally safe dental care to over 400 Indigenous participants across regional and remote South Australia.

Dr. Nath's publication record demonstrates a strong focus on oral microbiome research, dental caries, periodontal disease, and health disparities. Her work spans clinical applications, systematic reviews, and public health perspectives, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous oral health and racial-ethnic inequities in dental outcomes. She has contributed significantly to the understanding of microbiome transplantation and its potential therapeutic applications, with more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, over 700 citations, an h-index of 15, and an i10-index of 22 (as of 2025).

• Derek Frewin Early Career Researcher Award (2025)
• Hatton Award (2024) by the International Association of Dental Research (IADR)
• IADR ANZ Division Colgate Competition Award (2023)
• Editorial board member for BMC Oral Health

As an early-career researcher, Dr. Nath has secured over $70,000 in funding as Principal Investigator for her research. She is eligible to supervise Masters and PhD students as a Co-Supervisor. Her current research projects include the Oral Microbiome Transplantation project in collaboration with Pennsylvania State University and the Provision of Culturally Safe Dental Care among Indigenous South Australians, which has served over 405 Indigenous participants. She has also received additional funding through the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Early Grant Development Scheme 2025, Paul Lee Bequest research funding (2023-2024), and Adelaide Dental School Research RIBG funding (2022).

Dr. Nath leads research teams focused on culturally sensitive approaches to Indigenous oral health and collaborates with international partners on microbiome research. Her work with the Indigenous Oral Health Unit emphasizes respectful engagement with Indigenous communities through culturally safe practices. She plans to start clinical trials using OMT in 2026 to improve the oral health of Indigenous and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.