The 2007 H. Trendley Dean Memorial Award will be presented today to Dr. Kenneth Stephen, Emeritus Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Glasgow Dental School, Glasgow, United Kingdom. during the Opening Ceremonies of the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), convening at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
During his professional lifetime, Dr. Stephen has been a leading figure in dental public health, not only in Scotland, but also internationally. At the beginning of his career, he established studies to examine the oral health of young people in Scotland. Having determined the scale of the problem in the field, he pursued a scientifically based approach to caries prevention, which continued for 30 years. He was a founding member of the Scottish National Adult Dental Survey, established in 1972, and played a major role in the subsequent establishment and running of the annual children’s Scottish Health Boards' Dental Epidemiological Programme (SHBDEP). Dr. Stephen has also been involved in many fluoride and fissure sealant studies. Dr. Stephen has now developed Web-based programs for fluorosis measurement, which can be used world-wide. After establishing the effectiveness of optimally delivered fluoride in caries reduction, he undertook a series of major projects to demonstrate the added benefits of fluoride administered prior to tooth eruption, together with topical fluorides, fissure sealants, and oral health promotion.
Another aspect of the fluoride studies undertaken by Dr. Stephen has been in relation to fluoride-delivery methods. In addition to fluoridated water, he has conducted major research projects on the role of fluoridated milk and fluoridated salt. The breadth of Dr. Stephen’s interests in dental public health is demonstrated by his involvement in oral cancer screening and prevention. In response to the opening of a US-based smokeless-tobacco factory in Scotland, he initiated the campaign which resulted in Parliament banning the manufacture, promotion, and sale of its ‘Skoal Bandit’ products. His oral cancer prevention work has continued with a Government-commissioned, oral health-education package, utilizing state-of-the-art information technology methods, which has been distributed to all Scottish dentists, physicians, and pharmacists. Dr. Stephen became one of its highly successful senior academics. In summary, Professor Stephen has made a major international contribution to the field of dental public health, over a period in excess of 30 years.
This prestigious award is presented annually by the IADR and is supported by the Colgate-Palmolive Company in memory of H. Trendley Dean, the 21st President of the IADR and first dental officer of the National Institutes of Health. The award, which consists of a cash prize and a plaque, is conferred for distinguished accomplishments in research and development in the fields of behavioral science, epidemiology, and public health. It is one of the highest honors the IADR can bestow.
Dr. Stephen receives his award today during the Opening Ceremonies of the IADR's 85th General Session.