September 20, 2021 - News,Press release
The Eklund Foundation for Odontological Research and Education is pleased to announce the projects receiving this year’s funding.
The Eklund Foundation now supports research projects in dentistry for the sixth year running. The two chosen projects, which are to be conducted in the UK and Italy, will together receive funding amounting to almost €240,000.
Joel Eklund, Chairman of the Board, Eklund Foundation, said, “The Eklund Foundation is pleased to support these two studies that will contribute to further understanding of the oral microbiome and its impact, in the local oral environment but also in a wider perspective linked to general health.”
The Eklund family, owners of TePe Oral Hygiene products, created the Eklund Foundation to celebrate their long-standing relationship with the professional dental community. Since 2016, the foundation has distributed €140,000-200,000 annually, supporting odontological research worldwide. More information on previous grant recipients and their studies can be found at www.eklundfoundation.org. The next application period starts in spring 2022.
The Eklund Foundation has decided to award grants to the following projects:
Title: Improving the oral health of older adults using milk supplemented with fluoride and probiotics: An interventional feasibility study and pilot RCT
Main applicant: Fatemeh Vida Zohoori, Professor in Oral Public Health and Nutrition, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
Co-applicants: Alan Batterham, Professor of Health sciences, Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK; Caroline Orr, Principal Lecturer in Microbiology, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK; Christina Stecksén-Blicks, Professor in Paediatric Dentistry, Dept. of Odontology, Faculty of Medicine, Umea University, Sweden; Svante Twetman, Professor in Odontology, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Denmark
Funding: €138,113
Motivation: “The ageing population is growing globally, and retaining their teeth longer, they are increasingly vulnerable to caries. This well-designed study has the potential to contribute to improved oral health for these individuals by investigating whether milk supplemented with fluoride and/or probiotics can be effective and accepted.”
Title: The saliva microbiome as a biomarker for peri-implant, oral and systemic diseases
Main applicant: Paolo Ghensi, DDS, Oral Surg MClin Dent, Clin MSc, PhD – Adjunct Professor and Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Trento, Italy
Co-applicants: Cristiano Tomasi, DDS, Spec. Perio, MSc, PhD – Associate Professor, University of Trento, Italy; Eriberto Bressan, DDS, Ortho MClin Dent, PhD – Associate Professor and Vice Dean of the Dentistry Clinic of Padua University, Italy; Christian Bacci, DDS, Oral Surgery MClin Dent, PhD – Vice Dean of the Dentistry Clinic of Padua University and Head of the Oral Cancer Department, Italy
Supervisor: Nicola Segata, PhD – Full Professor and Principal Investigator, University of Trento, Italy
Funding: €100,000
Motivation: “This study by a group of well-merited researchers will look into the role of the salivary microbiome in peri-implant diseases, oral cancer, and diabetes. The establishment of a connection to oral and systemic diseases would allow the use of saliva as a simple diagnostic tool for various conditions.”