IFDH Research Grant Program

The purpose of this program is to promote experience in the research process and dissemination of findings contributing to the dental hygiene body of knowledge.

This grant program will provide small grants for students enrolled in dental hygiene graduate programs conducting thesis research (Undergraduate, Master’s or PhD levels). Students will submit a mini-proposal for consideration. Small grants will be provided (maximum up to $4000) and projects may not be fully funded. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are granted.

Layout Guidelines:

Font: Calibri (Body)
Font size: 11
Line spacing: 1.5
Text alignment: Justify (Cntrl J: distribute your text evenly between margins)
References: should use the APA 7th edition citation style.
Cover page: use the template provided. Include the title of the Research Proposal, your name, affiliations, email address and a brief synopsis of your current career stage and/or work setting (word count limited to 250 words or less).
Proposal: use the template provided names or personal information in the Proposal to enable fair/blind judging by the committee. Use of “XXX” where this information is required as part of the Proposal can be used.
Format: Please submit both the Cover page and the Proposal as separate documents in pdf format.

Criteria for Evaluation:

Is the purpose clearly stated?
Is the purpose relevant?
Will the study add to the dental hygiene body of knowledge?
Is the research design appropriate to answer the research questions/test the hypotheses?
Is the budget feasible?

Application Cover Page
Proposal Template

Send Your Application & Proposal via:

MAIL: International Federation of Dental Hygienists
100 South Washington Street, Rockville MD 20850, USA

Email: membership@ifdh.org
Subject: IFDH Research Grant Application

Deadline for Submission: October 15^th, 2025

2023 Awardees:

Heuiwon Han

Auckland University of Technology

Roles of oral health practitioners in child abuse and neglect responses

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts that all children have the right to protection from abuse and exploitation. Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect are significant global health and social issues. In New Zealand, oral health practitioners are uniquely positioned to respond to child protection concerns, as the government provides free oral health care to all children and adolescents. A mixed-method sequential exploratory design is adopted to explore the understanding, perspectives, and attitudes of New Zealand oral health practitioners in their roles in child protection responses and identify approaches to enhance the responsiveness to support children and families who may be at risk.

Oh Run Kim

University of British Columbia

Immunohistochemical Expression of the LPS/TLR-4/NF-kB/PD-L1 Axis in Oral Premalignant and Malignant Lesion

Recent evidence suggests that chronic inflammation, induced by the bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), may play a role in the development of oral cancer via the TLR-4/NF-kB/PD-L1 pathway. This study aims to investigate the expression patterns of LPS, TLR-4, NF-kB, and PD-L1 in oral precancerous and cancerous tissues using multiplex immunohistochemistry. The findings will shed light on their roles as potential biomarkers for an upcoming longitudinal study designed to predict the malignant transformation of oral precancerous lesions, which is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer.

Previous Winners

See 2022 Awardees

See 2021 Awardees

See 2020 Awardees

See 2019 Awardees

See 2018 Awardees

See 2017 Awardees

See 2016 Awardees