Wrigley Prophylaxis Prize 2025 honours UW/H projects
Both the interprofessional oral consultation and the Sixth German Oral Health Study were honoured.
The Wrigley Prophylaxis Award 2025 was presented for the 31st time - twice in the "Science" category and twice in the "Practice & Society" category. Another project was honoured separately.
Interprofessional oral consultation at the UW/H
Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) won firstly in the "Practice & Association" category: the prize, endowed with 3,000 euros, went to Dr Gisela Goedicke-Padligur and her team; together with speech therapist Ute Lehnert and with the support of Prof. Dr Andreas G. Schulte and academic with postdoctoral lecturing qualification Dr Peter Schmidt, they have established an interprofessional oral consultation service to promote the quality of life of people with special care needs. The service meets the need to consistently focus on the prophylaxis of "classic" oral diseases such as caries, gingivitis and periodontitis in this patient group, while also taking into account anatomical and/or motor impairments in the oral and facial area.
The interprofessional oral consultation for people with disabilities has been available at the UW/H since 2019. It usually takes place once a quarter. By the end of 2024, a total of 63 patients between the ages of 4 and 43 with complex disabilities or genetic or other rare diseases had been treated. In addition to analysing the individual treatment needs and the care strategy based on this, the consultation also provides targeted advice and training for carers and caregivers. Dental students can attend the consultation at any time. The relevant content is taught in the lectures.
Sixth German Oral Health Study
Secondly, Prof. Dr A. Rainer Jordan, Director of the Institute of German Dentists in Cologne and contract lecturer at the UW/H, was honoured with the Wrigley Prophylaxis Award for his decisive coordination of the Sixth German Oral Health Study (DMS 6). The study is regarded as the most comprehensive and informative survey of the oral health of the population in Germany to date.
About the prize
The Wrigley Prophylaxis Prize is an institution in dentistry and has been honouring outstanding projects in research and practice in caries prophylaxis since 1994. It is sponsored by the dental initiative "Wrigley Oral Health Programme", which is committed to improving dental and oral health in all population groups. Traditionally, the prize is awarded at the annual conference of the German Society for Dental Preservation (DGZ).
