Dr Martha Paisi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Plymouth
Martha Paisi (PhD, MMedSci) has a background in Public Health and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Oral Health Inequalities at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth. The main aim of her work is to develop a set of core outcome measures for evaluating the effectiveness of community engagement interventions targeting oral health inequalities. Martha also holds an honorary academic contract with Public Health England (PHE). She previously worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Public Health Dentistry at the University of Plymouth, funded by PHE. Through that post, she explored the barriers and enablers to accessing dental care among people experiencing homelessness in the UK.
Martha provides academic support to second-year dental and dental hygiene students undertaking the Inter-Professional Engagement module at the University of Plymouth. This module gives students the opportunity to work alongside a community-based organisation in order to develop and deliver an inclusive intervention to promote good oral health and habits. The module focuses primarily on vulnerable populations.
Martha’s has recently completed a project that examined the effectiveness of ‘Peer Education’ in improving plaque management among homeless people in Plymouth. The project, which received funding from the Oral and Dental Research Trust, was a collaboration between the Peninsula Dental School (University of Plymouth), Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, the charity Groundswell in London and a centre providing temporary accommodation to homeless people in Plymouth.
Martha is a strong advocate of inclusive dentistry; she works closely with the dental team at Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise, as well as the lead volunteer at a local residential homeless centre in order to improve the delivery of a recently established service that provides free dental care to people who experience homelessness.
