At the Opening Ceremonies of the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), convening here today, Dr. Dowen Birkhed will receive the 2007 Distinguished Scientist Award for Research in Dental Caries.
Dr. Birkhed is Professor and Head of the Department of Cariology at the University of Göteborg in Göteborg, Sweden. For more than 35 years, he has been conducting research on the etiology of dental caries. During this time, his main interests have been in the following areas: (1) diet and dental caries (acid production, sugar substitutes, starch, lactose, food habits); (2) root caries in the elderly and in patients with periodontal disease (risk evaluation); (3) fluoride in toothpaste, toothpicks, and chewing gum; (4) caries prevention (professional flossing, chlorhexidine gel, and varnish); (5) epidemiology (caries in toddlers and dental erosion in young men); and (6) saliva (secretion rate, dry mouth, saliva stimulation, sugar clearance).
Dr. Birkhed has taught at Malmö Dental School (1970-1988) and the University of Göteborg (1988 to present). He has mentored 24 PhD students and has published more than 200 original research publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has also authored chapters in 15 national and international textbooks and is editor or co-editor of three books published in the Scandinavian languages. Dr. Birkhed received his dental degree from Malmö Dental School in 1970 and his Doctor of Odontology (PhD equivalent) in Microbiology in 1975 from the same university. He completed specialty training in Cariology in 1988.
The IADR Research in Dental Caries Award, supported by McNEIL-PPC, INC., consists of a cash prize and a plaque. It is one of the Distinguished Scientist Awards conferred annually by the IADR, representing the highest honor the IADR can bestow.