The CDA/Dentsply Sirona Student Research Program offers a unique opportunity for one dental student from each of Canada’s 10 dental schools to participate in a national research competition.
The program is intended to support the advancement of dentistry by introducing dental students to research. Managed by CDA and sponsored by Dentsply Sirona Canada, the competition is convened at the CDA’s annual national convention held in conjunction with a CDA Corporate Member.
Established in 1971, the national research competition invites undergraduate dental students—selected by their respective faculty—to present and discuss their research before a panel of qualified judges and fellow conference attendees. The Canadian program is part of the international division of the Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA), which was established by Dentsply International and the American Dental Association in 1959 and now includes student research competitions in 10 countries.
Winners of the competition are announced during an awards ceremony sponsored and hosted by Dentsply Sirona, which generously provides first- and second-place prizes of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
In addition, participating dental students are invited to attend the annual Pierre Fauchard Academy luncheon, where each receives a $1,000 scholarship. The academy has long played a vital role in supporting this program through the contributions of the Pierre Fauchard Academy Oral Health Foundation.
Since its inception, CDA and Dentsply Sirona Canada have worked closely to inspire and recognize promising young researchers committed to exploring innovative solutions to a wide range of oral health challenges.
Pictured are student competitors and judges, Dr. Benoit Soucy and Dr. Mitch Taillon, from the CDA/Dentsply Sirona Student Research Program at the 2024 Pacific Dental Conference in British Columbia.
Past Winners of the CDA/Dentsply Sirona Student Research Program (since 2018)
- 2024 Winner: Angélique Thibault of the University of Montreal
- 2024 Runner-up: Keng-Shuo (Alex) Pi of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario
- 2023 Winner: Sofia Papadakos of Laval University
- 2023 Runner-up: Mohammed Alabdoulsalam of Dalhousie University
- 2022 Winner: Julia Burgess of the University of British Columbia
- 2022 Runner-up: Nicolas Ng of the University of Toronto
- 2021 Winner: Katie Hu of the University of Saskatchewan
- 2021 Runner-up: Simran Kaur Sarao of the University of Alberta
- The 2020 program was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2019 Winner: Da In Kim of the University of Alberta
- 2019 Runner-up: Vickey Arrata of Laval University
- 2018 Winner: Natalie Rosenthal of the University of Manitoba
- 2018 Runner-up: Kellie Zelmer of Dalhousie University
