The School received the Oral Health Professional Educators “Practice Green” Award, and the ADEE–Haleon Preventive Oral Health in Society Award from the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE).
The Practice Green Award celebrates institutions that demonstrate excellence in integrating environmental sustainability across educational, clinical, and operational practices.
Sheffield was one of only two institutions recognised for its commitment to environmental stewardship, embedding eco-conscious principles into teaching, research, and campus operations. Led by Dr Jonathan Dixon, Professor Nicolas Martin, and Dr Steve Mulligan, the School’s research team has worked tirelessly to normalise environmental sustainability in dentistry and dental education. Their research-centred approach engages students, professional organisations, regulators, and educational bodies to ensure that sustainability becomes a core component of dental curricula.
Dr Jonathan Dixon, Academic Clinical Fellow in Restorative Dentistry and Sustainability Lead for the School of Clinical Dentistry said: “It is a pleasure for our school and research group to be recognised as leaders in the field of environmental sustainability in dental education. We have led numerous studies to systematically embed sustainability teaching within our clinical programmes and are now supporting dental schools worldwide to do the same.”
The School also received the ADEE–Haleon Preventive Oral Health in Society Award, which celebrates projects that promote preventive health and public health education in dentistry. Two projects across Europe were recognised this year, each receiving a €2,500 award to further their work.
This recognition highlights Sheffield’s strong commitment to community-based preventive oral health interventions as part of the oral health promotion projects carried out by second year Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy students. Recent examples of interventions carried out include working with university teachers to embed oral health into an undergraduate nursing degree curriculum, developing an oral healthcare training pack for carers at a nursing home, and working with a local rugby union team to raise awareness and the importance of sports mouthguards.
Winning these awards cements Sheffield’s position as a leader in dental education, recognising the School’s innovative approach to integrating sustainability and prevention at every level of its teaching and clinical practice. Emma Bingham, Professor in Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy, said, “These achievements reflect our School’s shared commitment to preparing future oral health professionals who are not only excellent clinicians but also champions of sustainability and public health. We are proud that our initiatives are helping to shape the future of dental education both nationally and internationally.”
You can read more about the awards on the ADEE website: Practice Green Award and Preventive Oral Health in Society Award.