Before Yousif Alsaoor was a dental student, a bullet went around his head in the womb. His family fled Iraq, rebuilt their lives in rural Australia, and never looked back.

In this episode of The Brush Up, host Michael Klein sits down with Yousif, a fourth-year Bachelor of Dental Science student at Charles Sturt University in Orange and the President of the Student Dental Association for 2026. Yousif shares the extraordinary story of his family’s escape from Iraq, why he chose dentistry (and how he “finessed” the doctor title past his dad), what it’s like studying in a tight-knit rural campus far from home, and the clinical moments that made him fall in love with restorative dentistry.

He also opens up about the mentors who shaped his standards and why the best advice he’d give his first-year self is not to lose himself in the process of becoming a dentist.

Topics covered: refugee background and family resilience, choosing CSU and rural dentistry, Student Dental Association leadership, sim clinic and restorative passion, patient rapport and clinical milestones, mentorship and rigorous feedback, and advice for dental students.

The Brush Up is brought to you by ADA New South Wales. Find resources, episodes, and more at adansw.com.au.

If you want to stay up to date with the latest developments in dentistry, check out our upcoming CPD courses at adansw.com.au/cpd.

What actually happens when you call ADA NSW Advisory Services? And should you call even if nothing’s gone wrong yet?

In this episode of The Brush Up, host Michael Klein sits down with Dr Vicki Rozos, Head of Advisory Services at ADA NSW, to demystify the service that many members don’t fully understand until they need it most.

Vicki shares how advisory supports dentists at every stage of their career — from reviewing your first job offer and navigating tricky consent conversations to managing patient complaints, handling record requests, and even fielding calls with a patient still in the chair.

Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, or a seasoned practitioner, this conversation is a reminder that you’re never on your own. Advisory is confidential, tailored to your situation, and staffed by experienced dentists who’ve been in your shoes.

Topics covered: advisory services overview, new graduate support, patient complaints, consent and communication, dental records requests, solicitor correspondence, professional indemnity insurance, practice ownership guidance, ceasing to treat, and the importance of good record-keeping.

The Brush Up is brought to you by ADA New South Wales. Find resources, episodes, and more at adansw.com.au.

If you want to stay up to date with the latest developments in dentistry, check out our upcoming CPD courses at adansw.com.au/cpd.

At some point in your career, you'll collaborate with an oral health therapist. If you haven’t already, it’s important to understand what they do, how they think, and the value they bring to a team.

Welcome to Fresh-Out Fridays, where we sit down with early-career dental professionals to discuss the real-life experiences that academic study doesn’t fully prepare you for.

In this episode, we speak with Jayden Hall, an Oral Health Therapist (OHT) who is four years into his career.

Jayden provides an honest look at life as an OHT—covering everything from a typical day’s activities to how he discovered his clinical niche, and how he built trust with patients who were initially uncertain about him.

He explains the collaboration between OHTs and dentists, shares insights on the CPD landscape from an OHT’s perspective, discusses the rewarding moments in the job, and emphasises the importance of finding mentorship—even informally—during those crucial early years.

This episode is a valuable resource for any early-career dentist who wants to understand their future colleagues better, enhance team dynamics, improve patient care, and how to foster effective collaboration that benefits everyone—including patients.

So grab your coffee, settle in, and let's brush up on what it takes to find your place in the team.

If you want to stay up to date with the latest developments in dentistry, check out our upcoming CPD courses at adansw.com.au/cpd.