Rate My Professor Samuel Carrington

Samuel Carrington serves as Manupiki Māori / Associate Dean (Māori) and Pūkenga Matua / Senior Lecturer in Oral Health within the Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. Affiliated with Te Arawa, he is a registered and practicing oral health therapist with extensive experience in both public and private dental sectors across Aotearoa New Zealand. Carrington's academic journey began with a Certificate in Health Sciences completed in Auckland, followed by enrolment in the Bachelor of Oral Health programme at the University of Otago in late 2009, from which he graduated in 2012. Post-graduation, he worked at community dental hubs in the Wellington region, including Naenae, Miramar, and a kura kaupapa Māori in Seatoun, where he successfully advocated for in-school dental visits that rendered 70 tamariki dentally fit. He joined the Faculty of Dentistry as a Professional Practice Fellow in 2015, deputising for Associate Dean Māori since 2016, was promoted to Lecturer in 2019, and assumed the role of full Associate Dean Māori in 2022 upon the retirement of Emeritus Professor John Broughton. Additionally, he coordinates the second year of the Bachelor of Oral Health programme. His qualifications include a Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH), Diploma in Public Health (DPH), Master of Public Health (MPH), Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (PGCertHealSci) in Adult Restorative Dental Care, and Certificate in Health Sciences (CertHealSci). His MPH thesis focused on Māori expert perspectives regarding antimicrobial resistance through a One Health approach.

Carrington's research specializations include oral health, hauora Māori with a particular emphasis on oral health, oral health sector workforce development, dental public health, advocacy, and qualitative research methods. He is committed to the vision of hei oranga niho mo te iwi Māori—good oral health for Māori, for life—and drives systemic change to address inequities, such as elevated rates of tooth decay among Māori children. Key publications co-authored by Carrington feature 'Interactive e-learning lessons in patient-centred interview: An international multi-centred collaboration project piloted among dental and oral health students at the University of Otago, New Zealand' (2026, IIUM Journal of Orofacial & Health Sciences), 'Sociodemographic characteristics of Aotearoa New Zealand oral health students: Do student cohorts reflect the society they will serve?' (2026, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand), 'Access to and performance of community water fluoridation in New Zealand' (2025, Journal of Dental Research), 'Ethnic and gender variation in dentition spacing of NZ children' (2025, Journal of Dental Research), and 'A story to smile about: A tool to enhance preschool oral health' (2025, Faculty of Dentistry Clinical and Research Excellence Symposium). His work has garnered 92 citations on Google Scholar. Notable honors include the Oral Health Therapist of the Year award from the New Zealand Oral Health Association in 2018 and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (UK) in 2024.