Brussels, 15 October 2024. The European Federation of Periodontology, efp.org, in collaboration with Haleon, is delighted to announce the winners of the EFP Digital Innovation Award 2024. This prestigious prize recognises outstanding projects that advance gum health through innovative digital solutions across three categories: innovation for the public, innovation forthe dentist, and innovation for periodontal researchers.

The winners were unveiled at the EFP Postgraduate Symposium on 7 September 2024, in Ermelo, the Netherlands, which brought together students and teachers from the 24 EFP-accredited postgraduate programmes in periodontology and implant dentistry being taught currently around the world.

The first prize went to Daniel Palkovics, Csaba Pinter, Balint Molnar, Laszlo Földesi, and Peter Windisch from Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, for their project 3D Periodontist. This innovative tool facilitates 3D visualisation of gums, teeth, and jawbone, making diagnosis and treatment of gum health easier and more accurate.

Bettina Dannewitz, Nihad El Sayed, Stefan Listl, and Lina Weinert from Frankfurt and Heidelberg Universities in Germany, won second prize for Paro-ComPas, a user-friendly digital companion aiming to improve patient adherence to periodontal therapy, a major challenge, yet crucial for the success of therapy.

Third prize went to Zerina Hadžić from Zagreb University, Zagreb, Croatia. Her project, MOM Dental, is an innovative app that supports oral health during pregnancy, providing crucial guidance and resources for expectant mothers to maintain gum health.

"On behalf of the evaluation committee, I would like to say that we were truly impressed by the exceptional quality of the submissions for this year’s EFP Digital Innovation Award”, indicates Andreas Stavropoulos, chair of the EFP scientific committee. “We were amazed by the creativity demonstrated by the participants, suggesting original approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing periodontal diseases, and in general, advancing gum health through digital technologies. Digital solutions will play a critical role in the future of dental care,” Prof Stavropoulos outlines.

“The EFP Digital Innovation Award constitutes – apart from the monetary contribution – an important recognition, showcasing new ideas within the dental community,”, Stavropoulos adds. “With this award, the EFP aims to foster a culture of innovation for the benefit of practitioners, researchers, and patients. Looking to the future, we intend that this award, with the continuing generous support of Haleon, will remain a vital platform for inspiring new ideas on digital innovations for gum health."

Alastair Lomax, from Haleon, adds: “It was a privilege to attend the event and recognise the winners of the EFP Digital Innovation Award again this year. Haleon is proud to support the EFP Digital Innovation Award, and each year the entries continue to deliver exciting and original proposals. Haleon is passionate about science; it’s at the core of everything we do. Increasingly, this doesn’t just mean product science, but the use of digital is now at the centre of new approaches to oral healthcare. With the help of digital innovation, we can help diagnose patients, treat and prevent to support better gum health and better oral health, whilst collaborating and sharing information with ease for further understanding.”

The EFP congratulates the winners and all the other talented participants for their outstanding contributions and looks forward to seeing how their projects will impact gum health globally.

EFP, promoting gum health for everybody

The EFP (European Federation of Periodontology, efp.org) is a global non-profit organisation with a European core, which promotes periodontal science and practice, and awareness of gum health and gum disease among oral health professionals, other medical professionals, policymakers, and the public. The EFP’s vision is “Periodontal health for a better life”. Founded in 1991, the EFP brings together 43 national scientific periodontal societies, representing more than 18,000 oral health professionals and researchers in six continents. It leads the global conversation on periodontal science and guidelines, and pursues its mission by organising evidence-based scientific events and campaigns, including: EuroPerio, the world’s leading congress in periodontology and implant dentistry; Perio Master Clinic, a theme-based conference on hands-on periodontal practice; Perio Workshop, a high-level meeting shedding light on emerging issues; and GumHealth Day, a global awareness initiative celebrated on 12 May.

Furthermore, the EFP defines and promotes high-quality training in periodontology and implant dentistry on all three levels of professional education, from undergraduate training, postgraduate vocational education and training to its 24 accredited university programmes for specialist training. The EFP works towards the pan-European recognition of periodontology as a dental speciality and is supported by industry partners, but has no commercial or professional agenda.