Dr Carolina Machuca Vargas
Biography
I am an Associate Professor in Dental Public Health at the University of Portsmouth, and the NIHR RDN South Central Specialty Lead for Oral and Dental Health, providing strategic leadership across academic, NHS, and local authority partnerships.
I qualified as a Dentist at the Universidad de Chile and completed an MSc in Dental Public Health and a PhD in Dentistry at the University of Sheffield.
My research addresses oral health inequalities through the design, delivery, and evaluation of applied public health interventions across the life course. I have particular expertise in school-based supervised toothbrushing programmes, care home oral health, teledentistry and digital screening approaches, and mixed-methods and implementation research. I provide strategic leadership for the development, delivery, and growth of dental public health research. This includes supporting NIHR portfolio studies, building research capacity within primary and community dental care, and strengthening partnerships across academic and service settings. I have led and contributed to regional and national research programmes with a strong focus on feasibility, acceptability, and scalability, supporting the translation of research findings into sustainable improvements in community oral health policy and practice.
Research outputs
2025
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK dental nurses' professional practice 2020-21: lessons for the future
Turkistani, S., Radford, D. R., Vargas, C. M., Wallis, T., Louca, C.
21 Nov 2025, In: British Dental Journal
Research output: Article
A qualitative study of coach mentoring dentists in difficulty from a mentor perspective
Gowers, P. A., Radford, D. R., Machuca-Vargas, C., Louca, C.
9 May 2025, In: British Dental Journal. 238, 9, p. 720-725
Research output: Article
2024
Dental nurses rose to the challenge of COVID-19 with resilience, confidence and passion for their role
Turkistani, S., Louca, C., Machuca Vargas, C., Ann Wallis, T., R. Radford, D.
20 Sep 2024, In: BDJ Team. 11, 8, p. 354-358, 5p.
Research output: Article
Evaluation of postgraduate foundation training for dental therapists: does participation enhance career prospects?
King, L. E. G. C., Radford, D. R., Machuca-Vargas, C., Louca, C.
5 Aug 2024, In: British Dental Journal, 10p., 176
Research output: Article
Oral manifestations of long COVID and the views of healthcare professionals
Patel, D., Louca, C., Machuca vargas, C.
26 Jan 2024, In: British Dental Journal. 236, 2, p. 111-116, 6p.
Research output: Article
The attitudes of dental therapists, dental therapy educators and dental therapy students in the South of England towards domiciliary dentistry: a qualitative study
Emanuel, R., Quach, J., Patel, P., Witton, R., Machuca-Vargas, C., Taylor, E.
25 Jan 2024, In: British Dental Journal
Research output: Article
2023
Children’s dental emergencies: the postcode lottery of childhood oral health
Machuca Vargas, C. A.
16 Sep 2023,
Research output: Abstract
Diagnostic accuracy for caries detection of digital images using an intraoral camera in a primary school setting: a pilot study
Machuca Vargas, C. A.
16 Sep 2023,
Research output: Abstract
2022
Association of dental caries with use of internet and social media among 12 and 15-year-olds
Almoddahi, D., Machuca Vargas, C., Sabbah, W.
1 Mar 2022, In: Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. 80, 2, p. 125-130, 6p.
Research output: Article
2021
Oral health and depressive symptoms: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Venturelli, R., Blokland, A., de Oliveira, C., Machuca, C., Watt, R. G.
11 Feb 2021, In: British Dental Journal, 5p.
Research output: Article