Rate My Professor Trudy Milne

Dr Trudy Milne serves as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, at the University of Otago, where she is affiliated with the Sir John Walsh Research Institute. She holds a PhD from Queensland University of Technology and a New Zealand Certificate in Sciences (NZCS). Her research encompasses critical areas of oral health, specifically endodontics, periodontology, and orthodontics. Dr Milne investigates periodontopathogens and their associations with angiogenic and inflammatory gene expression in dental pulp, aiming to enhance treatment outcomes for smokers and patients with type 2 diabetes. She conducts studies on grafting materials in bone-healing sheep models to identify genes linked to osteogenesis, supporting advancements in dental implant therapies. Furthermore, her work examines the contributions of osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cells to immune responses and bone remodelling processes during orthodontic tooth movement. As a supervisor, she guides doctoral students (PhD and DClinDent) on diverse topics including cytokine modulation in response to nisins, effects of type 2 diabetes on the dental pulp, mechanical strain models for periodontal ligament assessment, nano-TiO2 coatings for orthodontic appliances, protein discovery using deer antler models, and submersion effects in seawater environments on dental evidence.

Dr Milne has produced substantial scholarly output, with 78 publications cited over 2,600 times. Key publications include: Patel, S. et al. (2025). Angiogenic effects of type 2 diabetes on the dental pulp. International Endodontic Journal, 58, 434-448; Alsamahi, S. et al. (2023). Effects of glycation end-products on the dental pulp in patients with type 2 diabetes. International Endodontic Journal, 56, 1373-1384; Ram, A. et al. (2023). Bone remodelling marker expression in grafted and ungrafted sheep tooth extraction sockets. Archives of Oral Biology, 153, 105738; Nobakht, S. et al. (2023). Expression of the pleiotrophin–midkine axis in a sheep tooth socket model of bone healing. Journal of Periodontal Research, 58, 109-121; AlSamahi, S. et al. (2022). Type 2 diabetes and the clinically normal pulp: An in-vitro study. International Endodontic Journal, 55, 660-671. Her contributions underscore her impact in advancing understanding of oral pathology, regenerative dentistry, and interdisciplinary oral health research.