C​olgate and the Oral & Dental Research Trust are offering awards for research conducted by dental care professionals (DCPs).

The awards honour Professor Robin Davies’ contribution to dental research.

A maximum of four awards, of up to £5,000 each, will be made on the basis of an application for support of investigations of clinical relevance, particularly in the field of preventive care.

Whilst the applicant must be a DCP, it is anticipated that a research team will be formed to include a mentor or supervisor with an established research record.

Applications should consist of no more than two A4 pages summarising the background, aims and methodology of the research proposal and the role to be played by the applicant in the study.

The way in which the award will support the investigation must be specified, together with details of the funding requested, including a breakdown of what the award will be used for.

Two dental nurses were among the 2019 winners.

They were:

Louise Belfield, who is investigating periodontal disease and angiogenesis: identifying a modifiable risk factor for oral cancer.

Louise shared that the Robin Davies Award will allow her to use her full skill set as a DCP and scientist to conduct research along all stages of a transitional project. It will also allow her to gather laboratory data, concurrently building a track record of project management and student supervision, to build towards a clinical project proposal.

Samantha Glover was unable to attend so her award was accepted by her supervisor Linda Hillman.

Samantha is investigating the identification of barriers to dental care for adults living with dementia in residential care. Samantha stated that the Robin Davies Award will allow her to explore the issues around oral health and dental access for those living in care homes. It will also enable her to draw some conclusions and recommendations that could be used to improve daily oral health routines and improve access to dentistry.

Hurry! Applications should be submitted by this Friday 7 February to Pauline Carter at admin@odrt.org.uk.

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