Dr Barry Gibson (BSc (Hons), MMedSci, PhD)
Senior Lecturer in Medical Sociology
Unit of Dental Public Health
School of Clinical Dentistry
The University of Sheffield
31 Claremont Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2TA
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 114 271 7889
Fax: +44 (0) 114 271 7843
email : b.j.gibson@sheffield.ac.uk
Biography
I joined the University in 2004 as a Lecturer in Medical Sociology. Since then I have been involved in setting up and running the Masters in Dental Public Health in the Department. I have also supervised numerous PhD students using a range of research approaches and methodologies from Luhmann´s social systems theory, consumerism and child centred methods applied to oral health related research.
Previously I worked in King´s College London Dental School as a Lecturer in Sociology and Informatics as Applied to Dentistry and as a Post Doctoral Researcher in the Sociology of Health and Illness (1999-2004). My PhD (1997) was a grounded theory of infection control in dentistry and my masters research focussed on HIV in dentistry (1993). Both of these degrees were completed at the Queen´s University of Belfast. Previous to this I completed a BSc 1st Class Honours degree in Sociology at the University of Ulster in Jordanstown in 1992.
Research Interests
The primary focus on my research has been the experience of oral health conditions and to this end I have been instrumental in securing funding from commercial bodies to explore the impact of dentine sensitivity on everyday life. This research conducted along with colleagues in the Unit of Dental Public Health has resulted in a new measure of the impact of dentine sensitivity.
I am also continuing to study the sociology of the mouth in everyday life by looking at the impact of oral conditions and the experience of the mouth in the media and everyday life. This work involves the use of systems theory, consumerism and the sociology of the body.
I maintain a healthy interest in grounded theory and to this end I continue to write on the method. I like to focus on blending it with other approaches such as systems theory and critical theory and at the same time I like to clarify the original version of grounded theory.
Teaching Interests
I am currently contributing to the development of two new Masters programmes on Social Science and Oral Health and Dental Public Health by eLearning.
Key publications
Forthcoming:
1) Gibson B., Boiko O., The experience of health and illness: polycontextural meaning and accounts of illness. Social Theory and Health,
2) Hall, M., James, A., Rodd, H., Gibson, B., Children's Experiences of Participation in the Cleft Lip and Palate Care Pathway. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry.
Published papers:
1. Boiko, OV., Baker SR, Gibson BJ, Locker D, Sufi. F, Barlow, A. & Robinson PG. 2010. Construction and validation of the quality of life measure for dentine hypersensitivity (DHEQ). Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 37, 973-980.
2. Boiko OV., Ward P., Robinson PG. & Gibson BJ. 2011. Form and semantics of communication in dental encounters: oral health, probability and time. Sociology of Health & Illness, 33, 16-32.
3. B Gibson, OV Boiko, S Baker, PG Robinson, A Barlow, T Player, D Locker, 2010. The everyday impact of dentine sensitivity: personal and functional aspects. Social Science and Dentistry, (1), 1, pp 11-20.
4. R Freeman, H Whelton, B Gibson, 2010. Toothbrushing rules: power dynamics and toothbrushing in children. Social Science and Dentistry, (1), 1, pp. 37-47.
5. Marshman Z., Gibson B., Robinson PG., 2009. The impact of developmental defects of enamel on young people in the UK. Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology. 37(1): 45-57.
6. Baker SR., Gibson B., Locker D., 2008. Is the oral health impact profile measuring up? Investigating the scale’s construct validity using structural equation modelling. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (36), 6, pp. 532–541,
7. Marshman, Zoe, Gibson B., Owens, J., Rodd, HD., Mazey H., Baker, S., Benson, P., Robinson PG. 2007. Seen but not heard: a systematic review of the place of the child in 21st-century dental research. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 17(5):320-327.
Key Chapters in Press:
1) Gibson, B., and Boiko, O., 2011 Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory, Health and Illness Forthcoming In Scambler, G., and Scambler, S., Contemporary Theorists for Medical Sociology, Routledge, London.
Key Chapters in Print:
1) Gibson, B, 2007. Accommodating Critical Theory, in The Handbook of Grounded Theory, Sage Publications.
2) Gibson, B, 2003. Access to dental services. in Gulliford, M., and Morgan, M., 2003. Access to Health Care, London, Routledge an Imprint of Taylor and Francis.
PhD Students
- Allison Patrick, Appropriate Models of Autonomy for Dentistry, University of Sheffield.
- Paul Dawson, The social construction of caries. University of Sheffield.
- Olivia Stocker, Narratives and facial disfigurement, ESRC Studentship.
- Clare Bale, Pornography, Young People and Public Health, ESRC Case Studentship.
- Najla Al Dossari, Mothers Agency and children’s oral health in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Government Funded.
- Joe Vere, “The polyphonic reality of evidence based medicine: A Social Systems Analysis”.