The winners of the 2025 Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA) were recognized during the opening ceremonies of the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), held jointly with the 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research in New York, NY, from March 12–15, 2025.
The SCADA program, which was originally launched in 1959 at the American Dental Association’s centennial session, is designed to encourage student engagement in dental research. In 2017, AADOCR partnered with Dentsply Sirona to co-sponsor the competition. Dentsply Sirona has been involved with the program since its inception. Over time, the initiative has expanded internationally, involving dental and dental hygiene students from 39 countries and resulting in the participation of more than 7,000 individuals. Participants join the SCADA Alumni Association, which serves as a network for students, researchers, clinicians, and institutions worldwide.
The 2025 SCADA winners were selected in two categories: Clinical Science & Public Health Research, and Basic & Translational Science Research.
Clinical Science & Public Health Research Category:
1st Place: Alex Matthews, Case Western Reserve University – Dental Hygienists’ Awareness and Support for Emerging Oral Health Personnel
2nd Place: Migelle Paolo Orobia, University of California, San Francisco – Repair of Carious Affected and Infected Dentin by Remineralization With PILP
3rd Place: John Woodward, University of Tennessee Health Science Center – Traces of Glandular Odontogenic Cysts in Dentigerous Cysts: A Clinicopathologic Analysis
Basic & Translational Science Research Category:
1st Place: Sarah Aitken, University of Minnesota – Roles of Streptococcal AgI/II Adhesins in Early Oral Biofilm Formation
2nd Place: Daniel Thomas Fleming, The Ohio State University – Identification of ADAM10 Partner Proteins and Substrates During Enamel Formation
3rd Place: Jonathan Banks, University of Illinois Chicago – NG2/CSPG4 Modulates the Biomineralization of Mandibular Fracture Healing
According to AADOCR President Dr. Effie Iannidou, the SCADA program plays a role in promoting academic inquiry and professional development among students preparing to enter the dental field.
The SCADA program is also referenced in connection with Dentsply Sirona’s broader initiatives, which include support for education and early-career research in the dental profession.
Additional information about the SCADA program is available at scadaresearch.org.
