Global Awards

The AOHAB Global Awards Program was established to support innovative oral health initiatives that improve access to care and reduce oral health inequities among underserved populations around the world. Through competitive grant funding, the program encouraged students, residents, recent graduates, and interdisciplinary teams to develop and implement community-based projects that integrated oral health with overall health and well-being. Award recipients demonstrated leadership, innovation, measurable outcomes, and a commitment to sustainability, while advancing research, education, and service for populations facing significant barriers to oral healthcare. The program reflected AOHAB’s mission to foster global collaboration, mentorship, and evidence-based solutions that create lasting impact in communities worldwide.

*Implementation research is the systematic study method that supports the application of research findings and other evidence-based knowledge into policy and practice.

Past Winners

2025

Dr. Marwa Baraka
Lecturer, Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Dept.
Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University
Development of Smartphone-Based Machine Learning Tool for
Automated Detection of Lesions in SN Children
Egypt

2023

Hildah Nkonde
The Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia
Save My Smile Project:
A local oral health initiative in 2 schools with special needs patients
Zambia

2021

Fredrick Meena 
Miracle Corners of the World
Program Officer, MCT Oral Health Care Programs
Mbeya, Tanzania
Read Frederick Meena’s bio

2020 Awardee

Dr. Janet Wallace
Associate Professor
School of Health Sciences (Oral Health)
Senior Smiles
University of Newcastle, Australia
Read Dr. Wallace’s Bio Here 

Senior Smiles is a project that has developed an online preventive oral health program for older adults living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) throughout Australia. The website encompasses a wide variety of resources for utilization by dental hygienists and qualified oral health therapists. The website has been created so that it can easily be modified for other special needs groups in the future.

The Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders Global Awards Program has funded creation of the Senior Smiles website in 2020. (www.seniorsmiles.org.au)

Global Awards Committee