Dr Kay Franks

Kay Franks is a registered oral health therapist with extensive clinical practice and managerial experience in the public sector.  Kay has qualifications in dental therapy, dental hygiene, business management and tertiary education.  Kay completed her PhD in 2019.

Kay has worked in areas throughout NSW, in rural, remote and metropolitan areas providing quality oral health care for populations that were often under-serviced and many in low socio-economic areas.  A confident and capable practitioner, she often mentored younger, less experienced operators and as a result developed an interested in teaching. 

Kay has worked external to oral health in a role that designed and delivered vocational education to dental and allied health professionals.  During this stage of her working life, Kay designed and delivered a training course for dental  assistants working with dentists and oral surgeons in operating theatres on the NSW, Central Coast. assistants working with

A leader in the profession Kay was active in the Dental and Oral Health Therapist Association for many years.  During her terms as President from 2004 - 2010, she was instrumental in enabling dental therapists to gain private practice rights in NSW.   The combination of therapy and hygiene qualifications saw Kay lead a change in name and format of the professional association to support a changing workforce.  In later years, Kay provided an advisory service for ADOHTA NSW.

Kay was an clinical tutor at the University of Sydney and an external examiner for Central Queensland University.  She is currently a member of the assessors pool for the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and a member of the assessment committee for the Dental Council of NSW.

Kay is a member of the Senior Smiles preventive oral health research team and has contributed to services on the NSW, Central Coast.

A love of teaching has seen Kay lead the first service - learning oral health student placement program to Cambodia in 2017 and 2018, where Kays clinical expertise provided students with a learning experience that can't be replicated in Australia.  Leading a team of staff and students, Kay inspires and motivates students to achieve clinical competency in working conditions that are third - world. The experience builds resilience, compassion and a desire to help communities that are in need.  This student placement experience returns students who have developed and grown professionally and personally.

Kay's PhD in the area of oral health and diet and nutrition.  This is an area of great need and an area that potentially can have a positive effect on preventing dental disease.  Her PhD is entitled, The Development of an Educational Resource to Increase Oral  Health Therapy Students Knowledge, Skills and Delivery of Dietary and Nutritional Advice as Part of Preventive Oral Health Care.  Kay has presented her research at national and international conferences and holds two 'first prizes' for posters submitted to international conferences in Northern Ireland and Singapore.  

As part of the oral health therapy quality management team Kay is the clinical tutors educator providing orientation and continuing education in the areas of student feedback and self - reflection in practice. 

A highly valued member of the oral health therapy program, Kay is committed to excellence in teaching and producing safe and ethical oral health therapists that can operate at the top of their scope of practice.