Shape the future of oral health: enter the EFP Digital Innovation Award 2025

Digital solutions are revolutionising the way gum health is managed, from prevention to clinical care. The EFP, in partnership with Haleon, is seeking forward-thinking innovators for the 2025 Digital Innovation Award. If you have developed a digital tool that can contribute to periodontal health, this prestigious EFP prize is your chance to gain recognition and support for your work.

There are three award categories:

• Public innovation: digital tools, like apps or devices, accessible to the public, aimed at preventing gum disease and/or promoting gum health. Entries should prioritise user-friendliness.
• Dentist innovation: technologies tailored to dental professionals, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and gum health management.
• Research innovation: digital advancements that elevate the quality and reach of periodontal research.

Applications should highlight how the innovation addresses an unmet need related to gum health, its advantages over existing solutions, and ideally include a prototype or published paper to enhance credibility. A well-defined business plan detailing production, marketing strategy, and pricing will be key in the selection process.

If you want to know more, join the live session on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn on Thursday 6 March 2025 at 18:00 CET with Andreas Stavropoulos, chair of the EFP scientific affairs committee, and recent prize awardees.

Insights from past winners

“Winning the EFP Digital Innovation Award has significantly increased the visibility of our research,” said Daniel Palkovics,” co-developer of the 3D Periodontist application that received the first prize. “It has provided international recognition and opened new opportunities for collaboration and innovation. However, as a researcher, the most meaningful aspect of this award was the professional acknowledgment from the esteemed awarding committee, composed of some of the leading experts in our field.

Nihad El Sayed, part of the team behind Paro-ComPas, which won second prize, explained: “We are very proud of the award. It has been a driving force to further develop our tool, which is a companion for periodontal patients, to guide them along treatment. The business plan we developed to present to the jury made us realise its market potential and has been a huge motivation. You may hear from us again soon! »

Third-place winner Zerina Hadžić, reflected: "The EFP Digital Innovation Award for my app, MOMDental, significantly enhanced its visibility, reaching a wider audience within the periodontal community and experts in the field. This recognition has validated the importance of digital advancements in periodontology and has also led me to valuable new connections. The next stage is to include as many periodontists as possible on the MOMDental map, making it easier for pregnant women to find periodontal specialists. I invite my colleagues to share their contact details with me and be part of this initiative to improve maternal oral health worldwide."

All members of EFP societies are welcome to apply, though previous winners and those related to projects that have already been rewarded may not reapply.

Andreas Stavropoulos, encourages participation: “Showcase your digital innovation through the EFP Digital Innovation Award and gain recognition within the periodontal community. Whether you're a student, researcher, or dental professional, this award can help take your project to the next level. If you submitted before and didn’t win, don’t hesitate to try again.”

The prizes will be conferred at EuroPerio11 in Vienna in May 2025. The winners in each category will receive certificates and cash prizes: €10,000 for first place, €6,000 for second, and €4,000 for third.

Heather Pelier from Haleon added: “Innovation is key to driving changes in oral health, and digital innovations elevates this, reaching even further among the periodontal profession and the wider dentistry community to ultimately better support patients for the best outcomes. Hearing the feedback from last year’s winners makes me proud that Haleon sponsors the EFP Digital Innovation Award, and I am so excited to see the entries for 2025.”

Submissions, along with supporting materials, should be sent in PDF format to EFP European coordinator Monica Guinea at monica@efp.org by 31 March 2025.

Make your mark in the digital health landscape and showcase your innovation to a global audience. Submit your project today!

Details here