Jaccard-EFP research prize is awarded to paper on effect of adjunctive antibiotics in patients with aggressive periodontitis

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The 2022 Jaccard-EFP Research Prize in Periodontology, awarded at EuroPerio10 in Copenhagen, has been given to a paper on the use of systemic antibiotics in patients with aggressive periodontitis.

After the three finalists made their presentations at a EuroPerio10 session on Thursday, June 16, the jury awarded the first prize of CHF10,000 (€9,835) to the paper by Cosgarea et al. (University of Bonn, Germany; member of the German Society of Periodontology) for the study Clinical, microbiological, and immunological effects of 3- or 7-days systemic antibiotics adjunctive to subgingival instrumentation in patients with stage III/IV grade C: a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial.

This original research evaluated the effects of administering systemic antibiotics (amoxicillin and metronidazole) as an adjunct to subgingival instrumentation over three days rather than the typical seven days in patients with stage III or stage IV and grade C periodontitis.

The study found that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups and that the three-day protocol may lead to “non-inferior clinical outcomes” after six months, with fewer adverse events compared to the seven-day protocol.

The second prize of CHF6,000 was given to the paper by Heyman et al. (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; member of the Israeli Society of Periodontology and Osseointergration), for the studyExcessive inflammatory response to infection in experimental peri-implantitis: resolution by Resolvin D2, which was presented at EuroPeroi10 by co-author Asaf Wilensky.

This paper describes research in mice that examined peri-implant mucosal immunity following infection and assessed the effect of using Resolvin D2 to tackle inflammation around titanium implants infected with porphyromonas gingivalis. The main findings were that, compared to teeth, dental implants present excessive inflammatory response following bacterial infection which makes them more susceptible to alveolar bone loss, and that treatment with Resolvin D2 prevented tissue damage by controlling the influx of neutrophils and by attenuating destructive immunity.

The third prize of CHF4,000 went to the paper of Pitchika et al. (Greifswald University Hospital, Germany; member of the German Society of Periodontology) for the study Factors influencing tooth loss in European populations.

This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the changes in the number of teeth present and the number of healthy or filled surfaces between two time points. The research, which used cross-sectional data from population-based studies, found that improvements in education and dental awareness led to a positive change in all outcomes, while an increase in the use of powered toothbrushes and interdental cleaning also showed a significant impact.

‘Top-quality research’

“This year’s winning papers show that a wide range of top-quality research is being conducted by EFP members,” said Andreas Stavropoulos, chair of the EFP scientific affairs committee and current EFP president. “Novel scientific findings are the way to continue bringing new and improved options for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis to patients in Europe and around the world.”

“Receiving the Jaccard-EFP Research Prize at the EuroPerio 10 congress in Copenhagen represents for me the ultimate recognition of my research activities that I have carried out over the last decade, said first-prize winner Raluca Cosgarea, who had been a finalist in the 2015 edition of the prize at EuroPerio8 in London.

She added that the winning study was the result of “excellent teamwork” supported by the universities of Bonn, Marburg, and Munich in Germany, Bern in Switzerland, and Cluj-Napoca in her native Romania, and by the German Society of Periodontology (DG PARO).

Dr Cosgarea, the first woman to win the Jaccard-EFP prize, said that the award was “a huge achievement and honour which clearly demonstrates that everything in life can be accomplished, provided one really wants it, works hard over the years to achieve it, and – most important – is given the opportunity. Opportunity has been given to me by the EFP, for which I am very grateful. This award humbles me but, at the same time, motivates both me and my team to work hard in the future for the benefit of our patients and of European periodontology."

Thirteen submissions

The EFP received 13 submissions from periodontists in seven countries for this year’s Jaccard/EFP Research Prize in Periodontology, which was open to all members of the 37 national societies of periodontology affiliated to the EFP. The three prize-winning papers had previously been accepted for publication in the EFP’s Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JCP).

The submitted papers were first evaluated by a panel of five judges comprising JCP editor-in-chief Panos N. Papapanou, JCP associate editors Niki Moutsopoulos, Jan Dirks, and Luigi Nibali, and Nicola West, EFP secretary general and treasurer of EuroPerio10. The judging panel for the oral presentations at EuroPerio10 comprised Panos N. Papapanou, Niki Moutsopoulos, Andreas Stavropoulos, and Nicola West.

The winners were chosen based on five criteria: (1) significance for periodontology, (2) innovative character, (3) scientific quality, (4) the quality of the paper, (5) the quality of the oral presentation.

The Jaccard-EFP Prize of Periodontal Research was created in 1995 by the EFP and the Jaccard Foundation (University of Geneva) to promote periodontal research in Europe. It is awarded at the EFP’s triennial EuroPerio congress.

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