Rate My Professor Manikandan (Mani) Ekambaram

Manikandan (Mani) Ekambaram serves as Associate Professor and Head of Discipline for Paediatric Dentistry in the Department of Oral Sciences within the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. He earned his BDS from India, MDS and PhD from the University of Hong Kong, and holds advanced qualifications including FDSRCSEd, MPaedDent RCSEd, and MRACDS(Paed). Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Otago. Ekambaram's research focuses on enamel remineralisation and adhesion, dentine adhesion, molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH), and paediatric oral health. His expertise spans remineralisation of early enamel caries lesions, enamel and dentine adhesion, strategies to enhance bonding to developmentally hypomineralised enamel, evaluation of remineralisation potential of contemporary agents on early carious lesions, novel experimental approaches to remineralise such lesions, prevention and management of early childhood caries, and qualitative studies in paediatric oral health.

Ekambaram teaches paediatric dentistry at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is an active member of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry, Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, and International Association of Dental Research. Notable publications include 'Consensus-based recommendations on pulp therapies in primary and permanent teeth: IAPD Porto Forum' (2026, International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry), 'Pulp therapies rooted in evidence: IAPD Porto Declaration' (2026, International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry), 'Effect of different fluoride varnishes on remineralization of artificial enamel carious lesions' (2017, International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry), 'The combined enamel remineralization potential of arginine and fluoride toothpaste' (2018, Journal of Dentistry), 'Effectiveness of professional fluorides against enamel white spot lesions during fixed orthodontic treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (2019, Journal of Dentistry), 'An overview of solvents in resin–dentin bonding' (2015, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives), and 'Risk predictors of early childhood caries increment—a systematic review and meta-analysis' (2022, Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice). His contributions have advanced understanding and clinical practices in preventive dentistry and caries management.