Irish Division · International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
Join researchers, clinicians, students and colleagues in Cork to present research, hear new ideas, build collaborations and strengthen the oral health research community in Ireland.
Welcome
We welcome new and established members of the IADR Irish Division to Cork to present their research, listen to colleagues, network and socialise.
You do not need to be presenting research to attend. Researchers, clinicians, undergraduate and postgraduate students, members of the wider dental team and colleagues interested in becoming involved in research are all encouraged to participate.
IADR mission
2026 Meeting
The Annual Scientific Meeting combines oral and poster research competitions, the Seamus O’Hickey Lecture, the Irish Division AGM and a conference dinner. Professor John F. Cryan will deliver the 2026 Seamus O’Hickey Lecture, Gut Feelings – Microbiome Research in Stress and Pain, at 4:00 pm on Thursday 8 October.
Scientific meeting
The meeting begins on Thursday with Registration + Lunch, followed by postgraduate oral presentations, undergraduate poster discussion, the Dental Health Foundation competition and the Seamus O’Hickey Lecture at 4:00 pm. Friday continues with undergraduate oral presentations, postgraduate posters and the RCSI Clinical Research Prize, followed by award announcements and lunch.
Full registration
€150Includes the scientific programme, buffet lunch on Thursday and refreshments on Friday.Conference dinner
€50Thursday evening. Ticket sold separately from meeting registration.Undergraduate rate
€20Reduced rate for undergraduate students. Dinner can be added separately.Registration policy
No refundsHotel accommodation is not included in registration.2026 Seamus O’Hickey Lecture
Professor Cryan will deliver the 2026 Seamus O’Hickey Lecture on microbiome research, stress and pain at 4:00 pm on Thursday 8 October.
Vice President for Research & Innovation, University College Cork
Professor & Chair, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, UCC
Principal Investigator, APC Microbiome Institute
Microbiota–gut–brain research across stress, mood, pain, cognition and behaviour.
Prof. Cryan’s research explores how the trillions of microbes living in our gastrointestinal tract communicate with the brain and influence stress, mood, pain, cognition and behaviour. By uncovering the biological pathways of the microbiota–gut–brain axis, his research aims to understand how diet, lifestyle and our microbial environment can be harnessed to support brain health and wellbeing across the lifespan.
John F. Cryan is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience at University College Cork (UCC) and has served as Vice President for Research & Innovation since 2021. He is also a Principal Investigator at the APC Microbiome Institute. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Galway, Ireland. He was a visiting fellow at the University of Melbourne in 1996/1997 and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla. He spent four years as a Group Leader at Novartis in Basel before returning to Ireland and UCC in 2005.
His research focuses on the microbiome–gut–brain axis and its role in stress, psychiatric and immune-related disorders across the lifespan. He is co-author of the bestselling book The Psychobiotic Revolution and serves on more than 15 editorial boards.
Prof. Cryan has received numerous international awards and was elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 2017. A past president of the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society, he is currently Treasurer of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. An avid science communicator, he has delivered TEDMED and TEDx talks and was featured in the Netflix documentary Hack Your Health: The Secrets of the Gut.
Accepted abstracts
Search all 47 accepted abstracts by presenter or title below. Select any title to open the full online Book of Abstracts, including authors, affiliations, objectives, methods, results and conclusions.
The supplied timetable does not specify a separate timed session for the non-prize posters.
Research prize competitions
The 2026 competition entries are confirmed. Eligibility criteria are retained below for reference.
For dentally relevant research primarily associated with an Irish research institution.
Undergraduate poster competition for dentally relevant research.
For dentally relevant postgraduate research primarily associated with an Irish research institution.
Postgraduate poster competition for dentally relevant research.
For a dentally relevant research project with a focus on oral health promotion.
For a clinically relevant dental research project.
Final scientific programme
Presenters have been instructed to give a 10-minute presentation followed by 4 minutes for questions. The final programme uses 15-minute presentation blocks, allowing approximately 1 minute for changeover between speakers.
Registration, lunch and networking.
| Time | Presenter | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 12:45–13:00 | Darshini Ramasubbu | Trends in Oral Cancer Incidence and survival in Ireland: 1994-2017 |
| 13:00–13:15 | Paul Leavy | ‘Us and them’: A realist interview study exploring how and why health system factors influence dentists’ participation in state funded, contracted primary dental care for low-income populations in Ireland |
| 13:15–13:30 | Shaima Abujaber | Head and Neck Cancer in Jordan: A Population-Based Analysis of Incidence, Stage at Diagnosis and Survival, 2000-2022 |
| 13:30–13:45 | Siobhan M Lucey | A qualitative study of learning spaces in undergraduate dental education: development of a thematic framework |
| 13:45–14:00 | David McReynolds | Association Between Dentition Status and Frailty: TILDA W1 to W5 Longitudinal Analysis |
Poster viewing and discussion. See the 5 accepted undergraduate poster abstracts.
| Time | Presenter | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 14:30–14:45 | Mpho Kgosi | What is the influence of packaging design and flavouring descriptors on the perceived health risks of nicotine pouch use among adolescents and young adults aged 13–30 years? |
| 14:45–15:00 | James Keaveney Jimenez | Dental Fitness Certification: Clinical Utility or Administrative Requirement? |
| 15:00–15:15 | Jerrome Sunny | Preoperative Dental Screening and the Risk of Infection Following Major Surgery: A Systematic Scoping Review |
| 15:15–15:30 | Jamie Knox McCleod | An In Vitro Hydroxyapatite Model to Assess Erosive and Cariogenic Risk in Infant Complementary Foods |
| 15:30–15:45 | Vinay Sharma | Lifetime fluoride exposure and educational inequalities in caries experience among older Irish adults |
| 15:45–16:00 | Ciara Scott | Toothful: Co-designing a positive health resource for adolescent orthodontic patients. |
30-minute lecture followed by Q&A and discussion.
| Time | Presenter | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30–08:45 | Amirat Ayinde | Measuring Cognitive Empathy in Undergraduate Dental Education: A Scoping Review |
| 08:45–09:00 | Adam Nawab-Khan | Developing an Evidence-Informed BELONG Framework to Support Inclusion, Transition and Peer Connection in Dental Undergraduate Induction. |
| 09:00–09:15 | Aoibhinn Walsh | Dental Governance Across the Island of Ireland: A Comparative Review |
| 09:15–09:30 | Muhammad Anwar | Medical Emergencies in Dentistry in an ‘Insta’: a Co-Creation Opportunity |
| 09:30–09:45 | Christina Sharp | Analysis of Acetaldehyde Generation from Ethanol by Candida Species recovered from Patients with Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders |
| 09:45–10:00 | Carley Wlad | Oral health, systemic inflammation, and cognitive function: a mediation analysis of candidate inflammatory markers in older Irish adults. |
| 10:00–10:15 | Nicole Reilly | Adhere today gone tomorrow – the adhesive performance of so-called universal bonding systems. |
Poster viewing and discussion. See the 14 accepted postgraduate poster abstracts.
| Time | Presenter | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 10:45–11:00 | Isabel C. Olegário | Prevalence, clinical characteristics and clinical implications of hypomineralised second primary molars: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis |
| 11:00–11:15 | Rona Leith | Effect of an adhesive system on the retention of resin-based fissure sealants in first permanent molars: a randomised clinical trial |
| 11:15–11:30 | Ross M. Quigley | Harnessing Pulp Extracellular Matrix Proteins to Enhance Human Dental Pulp Stem Cell Regenerative Processes |
| 11:30–11:45 | Kaumal Baig Mirza | Surgical Interventions for Oral Leukoplakia: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials |
| 11:45–12:00 | Martha Woods | ‘Food glorious food’, or is it? – a qualitative exploration of the relationship of patients with burning mouth syndrome and food |
| 12:00–12:15 | Rhian Fitzgerald | Patient and Parent Perceptions of Remote Monitoring for Orthodontic Retention |
| 12:15–12:30 | Cathy E. Richards | Investigating the Relationship Between YAP/TAZ and AKT Signalling in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma |
Book of Abstracts
The complete 2026 Book of Abstracts is available online and as a professionally formatted PDF. Search the online version by presenter, author, institution, title or keyword.
The redesigned PDF includes the meeting programme, category dividers and all 47 accepted abstracts in a print-friendly format for delegates.
Meeting gallery
After the meeting, this section can feature speakers, posters, networking, prize winners and the conference dinner.
Event photography. Photography may take place during the meeting for documentation, the Irish Division website, social media and future meeting communications. Attendees who prefer not to appear in photographs can tell the organising team at registration. Close-up or posed photographs will be handled with particular care. Read the Event Photography Notice.
Venue & accommodation
The Annual Scientific Meeting will take place at The Kingsley Hotel, Carrigrohane Road, Cork, T12 P680. The meeting is fully in person.
Frequently asked questions
Registration, competition eligibility, accommodation and attendance details.
Register on EventbriteYou can become an IADR member through IADR Membership. Select Join/Renew and remember to choose the Irish Division as your primary division.
No. Attendees who want to listen to research, learn about oral health research happening in Ireland, socialise and network are very welcome.
Each oral presenter has 10 minutes for the presentation followed by 4 minutes for questions. Session chairs will keep strictly to the 14-minute slots to ensure the programme runs to time.
Full registration is €150 and includes the scientific programme, buffet lunch on Thursday and refreshments on Friday. It does not include the conference dinner or hotel accommodation.
Yes. A reduced rate of €20 is available for undergraduate students only, not postgraduate students. This includes the scientific programme. A conference dinner ticket can be purchased separately for €50.
There are a limited number of rooms available at a reduced rate at The Kingsley Hotel for meeting attendees. Contact the reservations team on +353 (0)21 480 0500 and quote “Irish Division IADR meeting”.
These awards are open to undergraduate students presenting dentally relevant research primarily associated with an Irish research institution. The entrant must have carried out the research as part of undergraduate training and must be an Irish Division IADR member.
These awards are open to registered postgraduate students, or entrants no more than 3 years post PhD/Masters, presenting a dentally relevant research project primarily associated with an Irish research institution. The entrant must be an Irish Division IADR member.
The award is open to all members of the dental team presenting a dentally relevant research project with a focus on oral health promotion. The entrant must be an Irish Division IADR member.
The award is open to all members of the dental team presenting a clinically relevant dental research project. The entrant must be an Irish Division IADR member.
Yes. All attendees must register through the Eventbrite page. Abstract submission and meeting registration are separate.
Conference dinner tickets for Thursday evening are sold separately at €50.
Privacy & data protection
The website has been designed to minimise tracking. The site code does not configure analytics or advertising cookies. Registration, abstract submission and event photography are covered by dedicated privacy information.
How the Irish Division uses attendee, abstract, competition and enquiry data, including retention, sharing and your GDPR rights.
Read the Privacy Notice →The website code does not use analytics or advertising cookies. The policy explains essential hosting technology and external links.
Read the Cookie Policy →How photographs from the meeting may be used, how to let organisers know you prefer not to be photographed and how to raise concerns.
Read the Photography Notice →Contact the 2026 Irish Division IADR meeting team.