Mala graduated in Bachelor of Dental Science from the University of Melbourne in 1988. She spent several years in hospital and private general dental practice in both Melbourne and abroad before completing her Graduate Diploma in Clinical Dentistry in 1995 and her Master’s Degree in Paediatric Dentistry in 1997 at the University of Melbourne.

Mala has a busy and innovative private specialist practice restricted to paediatric dentistry in Melbourne, Australia. She is a Consultant Paediatric Dentist at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, where she treats children with salivary drooling and oro-motor dysfunction. In her part time position as a Clinical Demonstrator and Lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry, she is also actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate training and examining at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne. She has held positions on various committees including previously having been the Executive Secretary of the Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and the President of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Dentistry, Victorian Branch.

Mala has presented lectures and workshops extensively in Australia and overseas on various aspects of paediatric dentistry. Her research interests include dentistry for children with disabilities and special needs, dental erosion, dental trauma, pulp therapy and restorative treatment in the primary and young permanent dentition. More recently, her area of interest has focused on the use of ceramic crowns in children, with Mala being the first paediatric dentist in Australia to place zirconia crowns in her paediatric patients.