One of the most prestigious awards in dentistry, the André Schroeder Research Prize, was presented April 17 at the World Symposium of the International Team for Implantology in Geneva, Switzerland.
Beat Spalinger, president and CEO of Straumann, presented the award to Maria Retzepi, D.D.S., a specialist periodontist and clinical lecturer at the University College London Eastman Dental Institute.
Dr. Retzepi is commended for her work on the effect of experimental diabetes on guided bone regeneration, according to Straumann. In particular, she has investigated the impact of uncontrolled and controlled diabetes on the histological events and the gene profiles expressed by cells involved in the healing process following guided bone regeneration.
Dr. Retzepi's work has shown that although diabetes compromises the initial stages of bone healing, guided bone regeneration can provide an environment that is conducive for significant, even though delayed, formation of new bone. In addition, the use of insulin to control diabetes may enhance the bone regeneration potential. Understanding the genetic aspects of the metabolic status may lead to new approaches for treating oral bone defects in diabetic patients.
First presented in 1992, the prize -- which is worth 20,000 Swiss francs ($19,000 U.S.) -- serves to promote new scientific findings in oral implantology and related fields. It is sponsored by Straumann and given in honor of the late André Schroeder (1918-2004).
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