Professional Experience:
- Teaching Experience: 21 years
- Professor & HOD since 2022
- Professor and PG Guide since 2011
- PhD Guide at KUHS since 2019
- Started Career as Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine and Radiology in 2003 at Govt. Dental College Trivandrum. Joined PMS College of Dental Science and Research Trivandrum in 2004 as Senior Lecturer, promoted to Reader in 2006, Professor in 2011 and as Head of the Department since 2022 till date.
- Scientific Review Committee member in PMS College of Dental Science& Research .
- Chief Superintendent for KUHS exams in the institution till 2022.
Educational Experience:
- BDS from Govt. Dental College, Trivandrum
- MDS in Oral Medicine and Radiology from Govt. Dental College, Trivandrum
Research Experience:
PG Guide since 2011
- Guided and Completed MDS Theses – 28
- Ongoing MDS Theses -5
PhD Guide since 2019
- Registered as PhD Guide in KUHS for 3 PhD students. Research work ongoing.
Area of Research Expertise:
- Tumor Suppressor proteins pRb in Oral Cancers and Precancers
- Salivary biomarkers in Diabetes, Oral Lichen Planus, Oral Potentially malignant diseases, Smokers and its implication with stress.
- Morphometric assessment and volume of faciomaxillary structures including TMJ using Cone Beam Computed Tomography
- Artificial Intelligence in Assessment in Radiological parameters in diagnosis of Maxillofacial lesions.
No. of Indexed Publications: 40
Awards and other Research achievements:
- PG Guide for Best dissertation award by Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology in 2024.
- Best paper award in Faculty Category at Annual Conference of Triple O 2023.
- Best publication award in Research paper published in Spectrochimica Acta: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy with impact factor 4.098.
- Best article award in the Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology 2015, 2014, 2002.
- Best paper award in Molecular alterations in human oral tumorigenesis at Kerala State Dental Conference 2012.
- Basic Life Support and IV Workshop by Indian Institute of Emergency Medical Service and GDC Trivandrum in 2023
- Foundation Course in Pain and Palliative Medicine Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences 2024
- FDP on NAAC Revised Accreditation Framework by IOT Academy 2024.
- National level Faculty Development Program on Art of Research 2025
- Refresher Course on Medical Education Technology from Kerala University of Health Sciences 2021.
- Introductory course on Palliative Care by Regional Cancer Centre and Pallium India 2020.
- Faculty Training programme by Mar Theophilus Training College 2017.
- Basic course on Medical Education Technology by Government Medical College 2016.
Research area and Experience
MDS THESES GUIDED
- A descriptive study on Autofluorescence spectroscopic pattern in Oral Lichen Planus 2011-14
- Efficacy of Topical Aloe Vera in the treatment of Oral Lichen Planus : A clinical trial with Quasi experimental design. 2011-14
- Efficacy of topical Tacrolimus in the treatment of oral lichen planus: A clinical trial with Quasi experimental design. 2011-14
- Correlation between blood glucose and salivary glucose levels in type II diabetic patients. 2012-15
- Comparison of the number of mandibular nutrient canals in hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients: A radiographic study. 2012-15
- The effect of Topical Amlexanox in the treatment of oral lichen planus-A trial using experimental design 2012-15
- Carotid artery calcifications among smokers & non-smokers: A comparative study using panoramic dental radiographs2013-16
- A diagnostic test evaluation in vitro samples to find out the diagnostic accuracy of conventional film and storage phosphor plate with direct measurement by stereomicroscope as Gold standard in detecting proximal caries 2013-16
- Age estimation using panoramic radiographs and periapical radiographs: A comparison utilizing Tooth Coronal Index (TCI) 2013-16
- Correlation of chronological age to estimated ages using Fishman’s Skeletal Maturity Index,Cervical vertebrae maturity index and Demerjian’s method. 2014-17
- Comparison of length of styloid process in panoramic radiographs to CT as gold standard 2014-17
- Detection of osteopenia in the elderly using three mandibular radiomorphometric indices: A hospital based cross-sectional study. 2014-17
- Comparison of chronological age to age estimated by measurement of open apices of seven left permanent mandibular teeth in children between 10 and 15 years. 2015-18
- Evaluation of pharyngeal airway using lateral cephalogram and CBCT in TMD patients: A crosssectional study. 2016-19
- Comparison of mandibular condylar position in patients with Myogenic and Arthrogenic pain in Temporomandibular joint using panoramic radiograph and CBCT. 2016-19
- Comparison of vertical condylar asymmetry measurements in panoramic radiograph and CBCT of patients with Myogenous and Arthrogenous TMJ pain. 2016-19
- Effect of field of view on equivalent dose to the eyelens in dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography2017-20
- Effect of Field of view on effective dose to the thyroid gland in dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography. 2017-20
- Estimation of operator’s radiation dose to thyroid gland & abdomen while using hand held X-ray device. 2018-21
- Evaluation of posterior superior alveolar artery using Cone Beam Computed Tomography. 2018-21
- Comparison of the accuracy of anatomical mid-sagittal plane in Cone Beam Computed Tomography to that obtained using standard postero anterior cephalometry. 2019-22
- Evaluation of salivary cortisol as an indicator of stress in patients diagnosed with Oral Lichen Planus – A case control study 2019-22
- Comparison of chronological age to age estimated using permanent canine pulp volume in CBCT 2019-22
- Morphometric assessment of infra orbital canal,groove & foramen characteristics using CBCT. 2020-23
- Assessment of prevalence & morphometric characteristics of retromolar canal and retromolar foramen using CBCT. 2020-23
- Assessment of prevalence & morphometric characteristics of lingual foramen using CBCT. 2020-23
- Correlation of Linear Measurements of Mandibular Condyle and Roof of Glenoid Fossa among different age groups using CBCT 2021-24
- Correlation of Maxillary Sinus Volume Assessed from Three Dimensional Linear measurements to Volumetric measurements in CBCT 2021-24
- Comparative evaluation of salivary cortisol levels and stress in smokers and non smokers 2021-24
List of Publications in AMA format (indexed in Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science)
- Azeeja A, Sunila Thomas, Snifa VS, Jeena Raj .Unravelling the Mystery of Maxillary Sinus Malignancy initiated with Periapical Radiograph – A case report. Bioinformation 2024; 20(12): 1780-1783 Pubmed
- S Ramesh. Shaiju S Nazeer, Sunila Thomas, Vivek V, Ramapurth S Jayasree Optical diagnosis of oral lichen planus: A clinical study on the use of autofluorescence spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis.Spectrochimica Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2021 Mar 5;248:119240 CODEN SAMCAS,Elsevier,Scopus
- Sunila Thomas, Vivek Velayudhan Nair, Jincy Thomas , Lekha Saranya Balachandran. A clinicopathologic discussion on a case of asymptomatic swelling on the ventral tongue. Saudi Journal for Health sciences 2019; (8) : 191-3. Web of science
- Sunila Thomas, Vivek Velayudhan Nair, Jincy Thomas , Lekha Saranya Balachandran. Prevalence of oral and maxillofacial diseases among patients in a dental college in rural South Kerala: A 10 year retrospective study. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 2019; 6 (8) : 433-444. Scopus
- Velayudhan nairVivek, Sunila Thomas,Jincy Thomas ,Shabna Fathima Salim . Comparison of Cameriere`s and Demirjian`s methods of age estimation among children in Kerala: A pilot study. Clinics and Practice 2018; 8:991:28-30 Pubmed
- Velayudhan nairVivek, Sunila Thomas,Jincy Thomas , Cucoo Mariam Mathew. Panoramic radiographs for detecting osteopenia .A Pilot study. Clinics and Practice 2017;7:973:124-127.Pubmed
- Sudha SG, Sunila Thomas, Nair VV. Simple bone cyst presenting as an incidental finding in pretreatment orthodontic radiograph- A case report. J Indian Acad Oral Med radiol 2017;29(1)1-3 Scopus
- Thomas DC, Nair VV, Sunila Thomas.Pleomorphic adenoma : An unusual presentation on upper lip- a case report. J Indian Acad Oral Med radiol 2017;29:217-9. Scopus
- Sunila Thomas, Anita Balan, Prabha Balaram. The Expression of Retinoblastoma Tumor suppressor Protein in Oral Cancers and Precancers: A Clinicopathological study. Dental Research Journal. 2015; 12(4) :307-314 Pub Med,Scopus
- Mathew B, Sunila Thomas ,Velayudhan V, Prasanna R. Hand Foot and mouth disease in adults: an enigma among diagnosticians- a case series. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2015;27: 616-619. Scopus
- Velayudhan nairVivek, Sunila Thomas,Bindu J Nair ,Alex Daniel Vineet,Jincy Thomas ,Prasanna Ranimol, AswathyK Vijayan. Comparison of diagnostic ability of storage phosphor plate in detecting proximal caries with direct measurement by stereomicroscope: A pilot study . Clinics and Practice 2015;5:763. Pub Med
- Narayanankutty Anish, Velayudhannair Vivek, Sunila Thomas,VineetAlex Daniel,Jincy Thomas , Prasanna Ranimol. Till surgery do us part: unexpected bilateral kissing molars. Clinics and Practice 2015;5:688. Pub Med
- Sunila Thomas,Ranimol P. Oral Health in Geriatrics. Saudi Journal of Health Sciences2014; 3:1-4. Web of science
- Gopakumar D, Thomas J, Ranimol P, Vineet DA, Sunila Thomas, Nair VV. Prevalence of supernumerary teeth in permanent dentition among patients attending a dental college in South Kerala: A pilot study . J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2014; 26:42-5 [A.KBhoweer –JIAOMR best article award in original research category 2014] Scopus
- S Ramesh,Jincy T, Ranimol P,Vineet DA, Sunila Thomas, Vivek V. Frequency of oral leukoplakia in patients visiting a dental college located in a rural area of south kerala:A pilot study. JIAOMR 2013;25[2];1-3. Scopus
- Sunila Thomas, Balan A. Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene: An overview. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2012; 24(1): 30-5. Scopus
- Vivek V, Sunila Thomas.Prevalence of oral lichen planus in a rural population of south Kerala. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2009;21(4): 158-160. Scopus
- Sunila Thomas,Anita Balan. Coexistence of Ameloblastoma and Odontogenic Keratocyst. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2007;19(04): 570-574. Scopus
- Sunila Thomas,Anita Balan. Oral Cancers-a two year survey. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2003;15(1): 3-9. Scopus
Publication –Indexed (Others)
- Sunila Thomas. Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry- Opportunities and Challenges. Journal of Maxillofacial Science and Research. 2023. Editorial
- Dhanya Kumar,Sunila Thomas, Jincy Thomas. Patient perception and Awareness on Radiation safety in Dental Radiographs:A Questionnaire Survey. Journal of Maxillofacial Science and Research. 2023
- Sunila Thomas, Vivek Velayudhan Nair, Jincy Thomas , Sruthy CS, Soumya R. Potti, Anjali Subramony. Comparative evaluation of impacted maxillary canine position using Panoramic radiograph and CBCT. Internal Medicine Review 2019; 5 (3) : 1-12.
- Vivek Velayudhan Nair, Sunila Thomas,Jincy Thomas ,Soumya R Potti, Greeshma Merin Mathews, Anjali Subramony, Sruthy CS. The prevalence of oral habits, oral potentially malignant disorder & oral cancer in three different groups in Kerala state. J Dent Oral Health 2019; 5 (1) :126:1-3.
- Potti SR, Vivek V, Thomas S,Thomas, J,Ramesh S. Cleidocranial dysplasia:A case report. Trivandrum Dental Journal 2017; 7(1): 5-8.
- Sruthy CS, Vivek V, Thomas S,Thomas J,Ramesh S. Craniofacial fibrous dysplasia:A case report. Trivandrum Dental Journal 2017; 7(1): 9-12.
- Subramony A, Vivek V, Thomas S,Thomas J,Ramesh S. Downs syndrome: Report of three cases and review. Trivandrum Dental Journal 2017;7(1): 13-17.
- Sruthy CS, Vivek V, Thomas S,Thomas J,Ramesh S. Fibrolipoma on the alveolar ridge :A case report. Trivandrum Dental Journal 2017; 7(1): 18-21.
- Jo S, Vivek V, Nair BJ, Sunila Thomas, Alex VD. A Slow Growing Ambiguous Soft Tissue Swelling of Buccal Mucosa; A DiagnosticMêlée. Int J Adv Health Sci 2015;2(2):5-9.
- Preeja Premkumar, Vivek V , Nair BJ, Sunila Thomas, Vineet DA, Thomas J, Ranimol P. Discussion of a case of dirofilariasis presenting as a nodular mass. International journal of medical and health sciences 2014;3[3]:223-225.
- Malayil S, Thomas J, Ranimol P, Vineet DA, Sunila Thomas, Vivek V. Frequency of patients presenting with recurrent aphthous stomatitis :A Pilot study . IOSR journal of dental and medical sciences 2014;13[1]:63-66.
- Preeja Premkumar, Vivek V, Nair BJ, Sunila Thomas, Vineet DA, Thomas J, Ranimol P. Prevalance of commissural lip pits in patients visiting a dental college in a rural area of south kerala: A pilot study. IOSR journal of dental and medical sciences 2013; 10[6]:59-61.
- Gopakumar D, Thomas J, Ranimol P, Vineet DA, Sunila Thomas, Nair VV. Prevalence of median rhomboid glositis in patients attending a dental college in south Kerala. Trivandrum dental journal 2013; 4 :11-13.
- Nithin VS ,Vivek V, Sunila Thomas, Nair VV. Prevalence of Geographic tongue in patients attending a dental college in south Kerala. Trivandrum dental journal 2013; 4 :50-52
- Sunila Thomas. Oral lesions in HIV- continuing challenge to the dental professional. Kerala Dental Journal 2012;35: 264-267.
- Sunila Thomas. Role of dental surgeons in the management of hypertensive patients. Trivandrum Dental Journal 2010;1 (1): 18-23.
- Sunila Thomas. Lesch Nyhan Syndrome A case Report. Kerala Dental Journal 25(4)2002
Awards and other achievements
- PG Guide for Best dissertation award by Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology in 2024.
- Best paper award in Faculty Category at Annual Conference of Triple O 2023.
- Best publication award in Research paper published in Spectrochimica Acta: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy with impact factor 4.098.
- Best article award in the Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology 2015, 2014, 2002.
- Best paper award in Molecular alterations in human oral tumorigenesis at Kerala State Dental Conference 2012.
- Basic Life Support and IV Workshop by Indian Institute of Emergency Medical Service and GDC Trivandrum in 2023
- Foundation Course in Pain and Palliative Medicine Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences 2024
- FDP on NAAC Revised Accreditation Framework by IOT Academy 2024.
- National level Faculty Development Program on Art of Research 2025
- Refresher Course on Medical Education Technology from Kerala University of Health Sciences 2021.
- Introductory course on Palliative Care by Regional Cancer Centre and Pallium India 2020.
- Faculty Training programme by Mar Theophilus Training College 2017.
- Basic course on Medical Education Technology by Government Medical College 2016.
Current research projects – MDS
- Comparison of Condylar Bone changes assessed from Cone Beam Computed Tomography and its Correlation with Craniomandibular Index in patients with and without Temporomandibular Disorders 2022-25
- Comparative Evaluation of salivary Malondialdehyde in Tobacco smokers and non smokers 2022-25
- Assessment of Salivary Malondialdehyde level as oxidative stress markers in Oral Lichen Planus and its correlation with psychological stress 2022-25
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS – PhD THESES
- Sex determination of the Kerala population using mandibular CBCT Scans – Retrospective study 2020
- Development of a Deep Learning Model and Assessment of performance in the detection of periapical pathologies using Digital radiographs 2021
- Development and Validation of an Artificial Intelligence based system for predicting Vertical angulation errors in working length determination using Intraoral Periapical Radiographs 2023
Doctoral Committee Member KUHS
- PhD program of Dr. Asish R, Associate Professor, GDC Alapuzha on Morphological changes in the Temporomandibular joint articular surfaces in patient with Temporomandibular disorders – a radiographic analysis using CBCT 2021
- PhD program of Dr. Sunu Ramachandran, Associate Professor, GDC Trivandrum on Proximal caries detection of posterior tooth in various radiographic images by using artificial intelligence. 2021
Completed research projects – SHORT STUDIES
- Diversities in the Radiographic Appearance of Maxillary Sinus Pathologies- a Cone Beam Computed Tomography Study
- Radiation Protection in General Dental Practice- Recommendations and Guidelines: A Questionnaire Survey
- Knowledge and awareness of CBCT among dental students and Dental Practitioners: A Questionnaire Survey
- Patient perception and awareness on Radiation safety in Dental Radiographs: A Questionnaire survey
- Frequency of Temporomandibular Disorders among Patients with Temporomandibular Joint complaints: An Institution based study
- Frequency of oral soft tissue and hard tissue lesions in Geriatric patients : An Institution based study
- Prevalence of Incidental Findings in CBCT- An Institution based study
- Incidental findings detected in Panoramic Radiographs- An Institution based study
- Cheiloscopy in gender identification : A comparative study in males, females and transgenders in South Kerala population