During the Association of Dental Education in Europe’s (ADEE) annual meeting from 7 to 10 September 2024 in Leuven, Belgium, the ADEE, along with the European Dental Students’ Association (EDSA) and Henry Schein, revealed the winners of the 2024 Oral Health Professional Educators’ ‘Practice Green©’ Awards. These awards are designed to promote sustainability principles in the education and professional environments of oral health practitioners. In 2024, the application focused on campus-wide initiatives that enable and embed sustainable behaviors and practices in faculty and student populations, as well as encouraging such behaviours in others.
Regarding the 2024 awards, ADEE President, Prof Brian O’Connell, said: “After the success of 2023, ADEE is honored to again recognise the remarkable submissions for the 2024 Practice Green© Awards. The initiatives presented by our faculties showcase an impressive dedication to sustainability and environmental awareness in dental education. These projects are a testament to our collective efforts to cultivate green practices within the oral health care curriculum.”
EDSA President, Ezgi Yeşiltan, added: “The 2024 Practice Green Awards highlight the impressive role students play in advancing sustainability within health care education. It is wonderful to see how deeply these green principles are being embedded into the undergraduate curriculum, shaping a new generation of environmentally conscious professionals.”
Winners of the 2024 Oral Health Professional Educators’ ‘Practice Green’ Awards are:
Category: Faculty Campus Initiative
The Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye: For the sustainability group at Ankara University, Faculty of Dentistry, led by Prof. Kaan Orhan, the passion for sustainability centers very clearly on the need to reduce the impact of our profession on the planet. This is enabled by embracing the use of technologies throughout the dental care continuum to eliminate paper and waste, and to encourage ownership of the problem by the profession, from student to practitioner. The Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University sustainability group has created an impressive range of initiatives – from installation of solar panels, free bikes hire options for students, and training and support on a variety of sustainability related initiatives.
Category: Faculty Curriculum Initiative
The Faculty of Dentistry, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary: Established in 2021, the Sustainability Dentistry Group is led by Prof Tamás Demeter. Since formation, the group has led an internal drive to reduce waste, specifically, single-use plastics and a faculty greening initiative. The focus on single-use plastics has seen the faculty change many of its processes and gain value through the reduction of waste. The group provides training and support to staff and students, while developing comprehensive communication support that ranges from encouraging team members and students to bring the own mug to the cafeteria, to presentations on the importance of sustainability at external conferences.
The Oral Health Professional Educators’ ‘Practice Green©’ award was named after Henry Schein’s global programme, Practice Green, which provides customers and suppliers with products, solutions, and resources, enabling health care professionals to create a greener practice.
“We commend this year’s awardees for the exceptional work in promoting sustainable dental practices. The winners’ contributions are vital in shaping a healthier future for all. On behalf of Team Schein, we extend our gratitude to all participating faculties for their innovative approaches and for reinforcing the significant role University Dental Schools play in the sustainability movement within dentistry,“ said Nicola Loynes, Vice President of Henry Schein’s EMEA Special Markets.
