Professor Karl Lyons

Research

Professor Lyons has carried out research in dental implants and materials and in microbial adhesion to dental obturator prostheses, particularly adhesion of C. albicans and S. epidermidis. The latter was the topic of his PhD, which was awarded in 2012. Dental obturator prostheses can restore surgical resection defects in the maxilla of patients who have had surgery to remove cancer in the palate or sinuses, but microbial adhesion, especially C. albicans, to these prostheses reduces the lifetime of the prosthesis and can affect the health of these patients, particularly during radiotherapy.

Professor Lyons' research has included both clinical and laboratory research. The most significant clinical findings have been:

1. During head and neck radiotherapy there are large and rapid increases in microbial colonisation and a very high C. albicans colonisation count at the end of week one of radiotherapy can be used as a predictor for the need for anti-fungal treatment (and frequently hospitalisation) to manage oral complication from radiotherapy.
2. Microbial colonisation of obturators increases during prosthodontic treatment, and during up to 10 years of follow-up, until a new obturator prosthesis is provided to a patient suggesting obturator prostheses should be relined or remade regularly.

Significant laboratory findings have been:

1. The influence saliva has on either increasing or reducing microbial adhesion.
2. Identifying a salivary protein that C. albicans adheres to. This research has been carried out with Professor Richard Cannon, Professor Robert Love and Dr Ann Holmes.

Professor Lyons has also been collaborating with DClinDent students with a research emphasis on clinical and in vitro research in the areas of implant prosthodontics and dental materials, particularly ceramics.