The achievements of the country’s brightest young dental rising stars were celebrated at a dental awards ceremony this month.
The 2011 3M ESPE Dental Student Awards is part of the company’s bid to invest in the future of dentistry by recognising in the most pioneering, innovative and high-achieving dental university students from across the UK and Ireland.
Laura Cove, from Bristol Dental School, scooped the National award for Innovation for her essay describing her dental practice in 2020.
This award aims to recognise students’ abilities to think beyond existing practices and technologies to envisage the future of dentistry.
The award for Intercalated Studies went to Charlotte Currie from Newcastle Dental School and was judged on entrants’ intercalated year proposals, supported by a covering letter.
All the finalists were invited to join leading figures in UK and Irish dentistry at a dedicated awards ceremony at the Wellcome Collection in Euston, London last week (April 2).
The awards were preceded by a morning on Innovative Solutions for the General Dentist – 2011 and Beyond with speakers, including Dr Hein de Kloet, Professor Trevor Burke and Dr Avijit Banarjee and followed by an insightful debate on the future of dentistry from some of the industry’s most influential figures.
Both the National Award for Innovation and the Award for Intercalated Studies were judged by an independent panel of leading dentistry experts, including Dr Amarjit Gill, president of the British Dental Association, Professor Nairn Wilson, dean and head of King’s College London Dental Institute, Professor Trevor Burke and Edward Attenborough, president of the British Dental Trade Association.
The winners all received financial support for research projects, electives and intercalated studies, including a £3,500 bursary, for the winner of the Award for Intercalated Studies, £300 for each of the winners of the Award for Innovation and an extra £500 for the winner of the National Award for Innovation.
Student Charlotte Currie said: ‘I am so happy to receive this prestigious award and am grateful to 3M ESPE for investing in the future of dentistry by enabling students like me to not only enhance my CV but by giving me the financial support to further my research and studies. I’m really looking forward to my intercalated year and I think the articaine study could make a huge difference to patient care in the future.’
Dr Mary Anstice, general manager from 3M ESPE, said: ‘We were delighted with the overwhelming success of the 2011 3M ESPE Dental Student Awards and want to congratulate all the winners on their achievements.
‘We had so many outstanding entries that the judges had a hard job picking the winners. 3M ESPE is dedicated to encouraging innovation and we feel that through these 2011 awards we have further inspired innovative work within our dental universities and hopefully into the future careers of our dental students.’
The awards were open to all third-year students as well as those looking to undertake an intercalated degree in UK and Irish dental schools, through a new dedicated and interactive website, www.3mespe.co.uk/dentalstudents.
