Sunstar Oral Health, part of Sunstar, in partnership with the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH), has announced the winners of the 6th edition of the World Dental Hygienist Awards.

The awards, supported by the Sunstar Foundation, celebrate and recognise the achievements of dental hygienists worldwide and were originally established in 2007.

The 2024 Sunstar World Dental Hygienist Awards winners are:

  • Public Health: Federica D'Anteo, Italy, Dental Hygienist at II Centro Dentale s.a.s, in Cavaria con Premezzo and author

  • Research: Thérèse Elkerbout, Netherlands, Dental Hygienist and Clinical Epidemiologist at the Academic Center for Dentistry, Amsterdam

  • Entrepreneur: Juhwa Lee, South Korea, Master, Hiroshima University, Graduate School

  • Full Time Clinician: Lorella Mengarelli, Italy, Dental Hygienist at Studio Tiozzi Ferroni in Cesenatico

  • New RDH: Brittany Glauz, United States, Dental Hygienist, Creator of Brush with Britt Podcast, Speaker and Writer

  • Academia: Gianna Maria Nardi, Italy, Dental Hygienist and Associate Professor at Sapienza University.

Federica D'Anteo (pictured) wrote a book breaking down communication barriers between the dental team and patients who do not understand the language - a first in Italian dental publishing - and aims to spread the culture of oral health through dental professionals and strengthen the concept of community dentistry.

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Federica D'Anteo

Federica said: ‘Winning this award means being able to communicate with everyone, prevent oral diseases, and treat everyone without language and racial barriers.'

Brittany Glauz (pictured) has become an advocate for dental hygienists through her platform BrushwithBritt LLC. With more than 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.

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Brittany Glauz

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.'

Mayumi Kaneda, Director of the Sunstar Foundation: ‘We want to congratulate all the winners! We are extremely proud to see your work and impressive contributions to the profession. We look forward to celebrating together at the International Symposium of Dental Hygiene in Seoul.'

The World Dental Hygienist Award Ceremony will be hosted on 12 July 2024 during the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene (ISDH). Winners will receive a trophy, a monetary prize of $1,500, and an all-paid expenses trip and registration to ISDH Seoul.

Besides the World Dental Hygienists Awards, the Sunstar Foundation promotes other educational initiatives for professionals - the World Perio Research Awards and the Perio Link Award - and research and innovation grants to raise awareness about the importance of oral care and support oral care professionals.

Dental hygienists can find more information about the World Dental Hygienist award at https://www.sunstar-foundation.org/en/awards/world-hygienist.