GUM and EDHF Announce 2026 European Award of Distinction for Dental Hygienists

GUM®, Sunstar’s global oral care brand, has opened entries for the 2026 GUM EDHF Award of Distinction in collaboration with the European Dental Hygienists Federation (EDHF).

Designed to recognize outstanding contributions by dental hygienists across Europe, the 2026 award presented by Sunstar comprises six award categories: Public Health, Full-time Clinician, Academia, Entrepreneur, New RDH (for dental hygienists who graduated in 2021 or later) and Research.

Nominees must be registered dental hygienists, with entries recognizing achievements in patient care, community work, education and research. Each entry requires a written response to a short set of questions outlining the nominee’s achievements in the relevant category. Dental hygienists may nominate themselves or a colleague.

All submissions will be judged blindly by an independent selection committee of internationally recognized dental hygienists, with one winner selected in each category.

Each winner will receive a €1,000 prize and will automatically become a candidate for Sunstar’s World Dental Hygienist Awards (WDHA). The final winners of the WDHA awards will receive their awards at the 2028 International Symposium on Dental Hygiene (ISDH) in Dubai, UAE.

Ellen Bol – van den Hil, President of the EDHF, said: “Every quiet breakthrough deserves a global stage. Whether dental hygienists are proving a clinical hypothesis or pioneering a new business model, their innovation is the future of dental hygiene. Let the GUM EDHF Award of Distinction celebrate their impact.”

Mayumi Kaneda, Director of the Sunstar Foundation added: “Seeing first-hand the dedication and expertise of dental hygienists is always inspiring. We encourage dental hygiene professionals throughout Europe to enter and look forward to celebrating the winners and their remarkable achievements.”

The deadline for entries is 15 October 2026. Winners of the 2026 GUM EDHF Award of Distinction will be announced in November 2026. For further information and to apply, visit, here.

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