The awards celebrate and recognise the achievements of dental hygienists worldwide and were originally established in 2007.
Mayumi Kaneda, director of the Sunstar Foundation and Wanda Fedora, president of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists welcomed the global winners to the World Dental Hygienist Awards ceremony.
Winners received awards across six categories: public health, full time clinician, academia, entrepreneur, new rdh and research.
Each of the winners received their all-expenses trip to the ceremony at ISDH Seoul, a trophy and a $1,500 prize, presented by Mayumi.
Mayumi said, “It was wonderful to meet all the winners and congratulate them in person. We are so proud of all their work and incredible contributions to the profession.”
Public health award
Federica D’Anteo received an award following the publication of her book. It breaks down the communication barriers between the dental team and patients who do not understand Italian and aims to spread the culture of oral health through dental hygienists, dentists, and dental assistants and strengthen the concept of community dentistry.
Federica said, “Winning this award means being able to communicate with everyone, prevent oral diseases, and treat everyone without language and racial barriers. Thanks to the Sunstar Foundation for giving such great importance to this tool (the book La cura dei denti senza barriere) and for helping to share awareness of it.”
Academia award
One of the first 13 dental hygienists in Italy, Gianna Maria Nardi founded the first association of dental hygienists and its entry into the IFDH.
She collaborated on the first IFDH congress in Italy, taught in various Italian universities, and directed various Master's and Advanced Training Courses. Gianna directs a master's program in the management of oral health in special needs patients.
Gianna commented, “Devoting a professional life to the study and research on the innovation of operative protocols dedicated to oral health and winning the academia category of the World Dental Hygienist Awards program and receiving it during the prestigious International Symposium for Dental Hygiene (ISDH) is joyful and emotional. Thank you, Sunstar Foundation and the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH).”
Full-time clinician award
Lorella Mengarelli received the award in recognition of her specialist experience and expertise in the oral health of Alzheimer's and Dementia patients. She educates family members and caregivers on how to manage loved ones' oral hygiene at home.
Lorella shared, “I am truly honored and grateful to receive such a prestigious recognition. It’s a source of great pride and deeply inspires me to uphold and spread the values represented by this award.”
Research award
Thérèse Elkerbout has had a lifelong career commitment to dental hygiene. Becoming chief of Help-Uganda-Foundation (HUG) has allowed Thérèse to combine her three professional loves: being a dental hygienist in the oral hygiene practice, working as a lecturer at the ACTA periodontology department on evidence-based dental hygiene and volunteering in Uganda.
She was awarded a PhD in December 2022.
Thérèse said, “I'm thrilled, honored and thankful to win this Sunstar World Dental Hygienist Award for research.
“This award is a milestone for me that was made possible thanks to the Sunstar Foundation, the jury of the IFDH, and all who voted for my YouTube film.”
New RDH award
Brittany Glauz has become an advocate for dental hygienists through her platform BrushwithBritt.
With over 40,000 followers on TikTok, 20,000 followers on Instagram, and a podcast with more than 45 episodes, Britt uses her knowledge and expertise to educate, empower and motivate dental hygienists.
Brittany said, “To earn global recognition as a new RDH, represents how unity in our field drives innovation and elevates the standard of oral health. It represents not only a personal achievement, but also the potential for every new hygienist to make significant contributions to dentistry and to inspire change and excellence in the profession.”
Entrepreneur award
Juhwa Lee created a platform called Healthy Oral Healthy Body (HOHB). The online store sells notepads to track treatment progress. The business also acts as a medium for dental hygienists who have ideas to improve care for their patients, so they can participate in product planning and production.
Juhwa shared, “A healthy mouth for a healthy body, that's what I believe as a dental hygienist and as a human being. Just as the first gateway to maintaining and promoting full-body health is oral health, I believe that the first gateway to oral health is the dental hygienist, just like the theme of ISDH 2024.”