Iain Chapple receives top award from International Association for Dental Research

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) has awarded its 2018 Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Periodontal Disease to EFP secretary general Iain Chapple.

The IADR award, one of the top distinctions in dentistry, has been made in recognition of Prof Chapple’s “significant contribution to the field of oral health research.”

The award, which includes a monetary prize of $3,500 (€2,992) and a commemorative plaque, will be presented at an IADR conference and exhibition in London on July 25. The award is sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive Company.

Iain Chapple, head of the University of Birmingham Dental School, is a leading researcher in periodontal disease whose work has covered various aspects of the pathobiology of periodontal diseases, from “bench to bedside”, and also their associations with systemic diseases.

Commenting on the award, Prof Chapple said: “I was somewhat shocked, but delighted to receive the news. It is really a team award for the periodontal research group in Birmingham, because research these days is a team effort and I have been very fortunate to work with fantastic people both past and present. I must also recognise my former mentors, John Matthews and Sig Socransky, and my dear friend and colleague Ricardo Teles, who we all miss, and who I am sure would have been a recipient of this award.”

Previous recipients of the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Periodontal Diseases include Panos Papapanou (USA, 2017), Kazuhisa Yamazaki (Japan, 2016), P. Mark Bartold (Australia, 2015), and Dana Graves (USA, 2014). Prof Chapple is the second UK clinical scientist in 63 years to receive the award, which dates back to 1965.

The IADR, based in Alexandria, Virginia (USA) is a professional non-profit association with nearly 11,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide, to support and represent the oral-health research community, and to facilitate the communication and application of research findings.