EFP calls for applications for second edition of digital innovation award

Applications can now be made for the second edition of the EFP Innovation Award for Digital Solutions for Gum Health, which recognises digital-technology projects for patients, dentists, and researchers that will contribute to improving gum health.

The annual competition, financially supported by Haleon (one of the EFP’s partners), seeks to promote research in Europe and around the world and is open to all EFP national societies.

Three prizes (of €10,000, €6,000, and €4,000) will be awarded for digital innovations that contribute to gum health in one of three ways:

• Innovation for the public: applications or devices that everybody can use that can help people improve their gum health and prevent gum inflammation, thereby supporting primary or secondary prevention.
• Innovation for the dentist: digital technology that can help dentists diagnose gum disease or improve gum health.
• Innovation of periodontal researchers: novel digital methods that will help researchers by enhancing the quality of studies regarding gum health.

Applications will be assessed according to four criteria: the need, the market, the presentation of the idea, and the business plan.

They will be evaluated by a panel of five adjudicators from the EFP: chair and deputy chair of the scientific affairs committee, chair of the postgraduate education committee, chair of the workshop committee, and a member of the executive committee.

Full details of the EFP Innovation Award for Digital Solutions for Gum Health and the application process can be found on the EFP website.

Candidates should send their applications and supporting materials in pdf format to Monica Guinea, EFP European co-ordinator (monica@efp.org) by 5 January 2023.

The awards will be announced at the EFP 2023 general assembly, to be held in Helsingor, Denmark, on 1 April.

First winners

The winners of the first EFP Innovation Award for Digital Solutions for Gum Health (see photograph) received their prizes at the EuroPerio10 congress in June. The first prize went to Dental Coach App, developed by Lodewijk Gründemann and Melle Vroom (Netherlands); the second prize to

Dental Tracker, a mobile application for patients, dentists, and periodontal researchers, developed by Boey Sean Kuan (Singapore), and the third prize to AI-PERIO: integration of gum health perception and periodontitis prevention on an artificial intelligence-based mobile application for tackling low-grade chronic systemic inflammation, from Giacomo Baima and Mario Aimetti (Italy).

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