Dundee University wins Oral Health Professional Educators Award
Awards celebrate excellence in sustainability and social responsibility in oral health education
The University of Dundee is among the winners of the 2026 Oral Health Professional Educators Awards announced by The Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE), the European Dental Students’ Association (EDSA) and Henry Schein.
The ‘Social Excellence’ Award recognises an ADEE member institution that is making a positive difference through
social responsibility across education, clinical practice and operations and helps health happen by recognising
improvements in social health outcomes for communities and patients. The award celebrates initiatives that expand
access to care, promote inclusion and support underserved communities.
Dundee University developed the Dental Connect project to address oral health inequalities through community engagement and social responsibility. Co-created with students and community partners, the initiative improves oral health among vulnerable groups while fostering collaborative learning and social purpose.
Since its inception, the project has delivered more than 2,500 interventions and 78 large-scale events. Its work continues to
grow through partnerships such as Smile Train and the development of dental comics to help communicate with
service users.
Meanwhile, thanks to its Dental Ecolabel project, the Université Paris Cité was the winner of the Oral Health
Professional Educators ‘Practice Green’ Award. The project involves more than1,000 undergraduate dental students
across six clinical settings.
The Ecolable framework strives not only to reduce carbon, waste and improve recycling, but primarily to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable dental practice, encouraging continuous improvement and a new mindset among graduates and staff around the responsibilities and impact of sustainable and ethical care.
Professor Ivan Alajbeg, ADEE President, said: “We are delighted to congratulate the Université Paris Cité and the University of Dundee on their outstanding achievements and the impact of their projects in advancing environmental sustainability and social excellence.”
The awards are are part of ‘Henry Schein Cares’, Henry Schein’s global corporate citizenship programme, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Through Henry Schein Cares, the company works to create positive change across five key areas, including expanding access to health care, advancing innovation, empowering Team Schein, building strong relationships and sustaining the planet.