Dr Kyle Turner — Founder & CEO of Pearlii

About Kyle Turner & Pearlii

Dr Kyle Turner, a Wiradjuri man (he/him), previously held research and teaching posts at the University of Oxford and University of Melbourne.

Kyle has published widely on the burden of chronic disease - with a heavy focus on the prevention of disease - with a demonstrated passion for improving health outcomes for First Nation Peoples and other disadvantaged groups.

Kyle started Pearlii in 2019. Growing up in the outback, moving around constantly in Aboriginal community housing, they didn’t have any real access to dental care.

He can tell you from first-hand experience that it sucks having bad teeth, especially as an image-conscious teenager.

It’s not just toothaches and surgeries, which are bloody painful, having bad teeth just stops you smiling. It impacts your confidence and self-esteem.

As an adult and an epidemiologist, however, he learned how easy it is to prevent oral diseases with regular brushing and flossing - very basic health education - so he knew that he had to do something to help fix this.

He didn’t want any child growing up with bad teeth when it is so easily prevented.