ADA Science Social honors leaders in evidence-based dentistry
Awards recognize dentists who have made significant contributions to implement, advance evidence-based dentistry
Las Vegas — The American Dental Association Science & Research Institute and the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research have awarded the Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty and Practice Awards to three dentists who have made significant contributions to implement and advance evidence-based dentistry.
This year’s winners include Margherita Fontana, D.D.S., Ph.D., recipient of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award; Marcelle Nascimento, D.D.S., Ph.D., recipient of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Mid-Career Faculty Award; and Brian Nový, D.D.S., recipient of the Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Award. They, together with the 2020 award winners, were recognized Oct. 12 during the ADA Science Social at SmileCon.
The Evidence-Based Dentistry Faculty and Practice Awards acknowledge practicing dental educators and clinicians for their contributions to evidence-based dentistry in research, practice or education. The awards are supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Colgate.
The winners were selected by members of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs Clinical Excellence Subcommittee, representation from the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research, and a nonvoting participant from Colgate. They received a commemorative plaque and $1,000 honorarium.
To learn about the ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, visit EBD.ADA.org .
Evidence-Based Dentistry Accomplished Faculty Award
Dr. Fontana is the Clifford Nelson Endowed Professor of Dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. As director of the school’s cariology courses, she emphasizes the use of evidence in active student learning activities that focus on critical thinking and problem-solving.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Fontana has authored numerous evidence-based research manuscripts, including the 2016 ADA clinical practice guideline on the use of pit-and-fissure sealants and the 2018 ADA clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative caries treatments. She chairs the expert panel responsible for the upcoming ADASRI clinical practice guideline on caries prevention and belongs to the expert panel developing the upcoming ADASRI clinical practice guideline on restorative caries treatments.
Evidence-Based Dentistry Mid-Career Faculty Award
Dr. Nascimento is an associate professor of restorative dental sciences and director of the Dental Clinic Research Unit at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. As an educator, she empowers students to integrate evidence into clinical practice and decision-making so that they become lifelong learners and critical thinkers.
As a researcher, Dr. Nascimento contributes to dentistry’s evidence base through her study of the ammonia-producing capabilities of oral bacteria. She authored the 2018 ADA clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative caries treatments and is a co-author of the upcoming ADASRI clinical practice guidelines on caries prevention and restorative caries treatments.
Evidence-Based Dentistry Practice Award
Dr. Nový practices full time as chief dental officer at the Alliance Dental Center of the Massachusetts Public Employees Fund in Quincy, Massachusetts. He conducts salivary assessments of his patients to monitor their oral health and uses this evidence to inform the treatment and patient education he offers chairside.
Outside the clinic, Dr. Nový authored the 2018 ADA clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative caries treatments. He holds faculty appointments at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine.
