Nicola Cirillo

Nicola Cirillo is Professor at the Melbourne Dental School within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD cum laude) with honors and a PhD in oral immunopathology in 2007. A clinician-scientist, he joined the University of Melbourne in late 2012, advancing from his initial role to Associate Professor and subsequently to full Professor. His academic career focuses on basic and translational research aimed at achieving a systems-level understanding of the pathomechanisms underlying oral autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Cirillo's research specializations include oral potentially malignant disorders, oral cancer, chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis, betel quid constituents and their cytotoxic effects, oxidative stress in oral diseases, biomarkers for oral disease screening, artificial intelligence in dentistry, collective intelligence in oral healthcare, Candida biofilms, hyaluronic acid in mucositis prevention, oral lichen planus, pemphigus vulgaris, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and glucose transporters in oral cancer. He has published over 213 peer-reviewed articles, with more than 5,600 citations. Key publications encompass 'Increased Delay in Diagnosis, but Not Treatment, Among Patients With Oral Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic' (JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 2023), 'Biosynthesis of glucocorticoids in tumors' (JCI Insight, 2023), 'High molecular weight hyaluronic acid drastically reduces chemotherapy-induced mucositis and apoptotic cell death' (Biomedicines, 2023), 'Diseases with oral malignant potential: Need for change to inform research, policy, and practice' (Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine, 2024), 'Precursor Lesions, Overdiagnosis, and Oral Cancer: A Critical Review' (Cancers, 2024), and 'Harnessing the power of collective intelligence in dentistry: a pilot study in Victoria, Australia' (BMC Oral Health, 2023). His work has significantly influenced understandings of oral oncology, mucositis prevention, and digital health applications in dentistry, including AI-driven tools for triaging and decision-making. Cirillo supervises doctoral research projects such as Dental Research Project 1 and contributes to teaching in the Melbourne Dental School.

Professional Email: nicola.cirillo@unimelb.edu.au