Associate Professor Joseph Palamara

PhD, Dip Ed, Monash University

Before coming to the Melbourne Dental School Dr Palamara worked at Monash University in the physics department as a research fellow and lecturer and as a lecturer at RMIT. In-between teaching he spent a short period at ICI (Australia) working on advanced ceramics. He also works as a researcher for the Oral Health CRC.

Dr Palamara’s research interests include the:

• Investigation of the physical properties of hard tissues (enamel, dentine, bone) and the significance for clinical applications under loading.
• Investigation of the material properties of tooth colored restorative dental materials and the effect due to the incorporation of CPP-ACP.
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of tooth models and the determine strain patterns due to occlusal loading as validated by strain gauge and photoelastic techniques.
• Ultra-structural study of mineralization, demineralization and re-mineralization of enamel, dentine and other hard tissues.
• The study of the ultrastructure of defective teeth: (Amelogenesis Imperfecta, Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Dentinogenesis Imperfecta).
• Ultra-structural study of changes in hard tissues (eg. human bones and teeth) after being subjected to heat treatments.