Dr Angus WG Walls was awarded the 2003 Geriatric Oral Research Award at the IADR during the opening ceremonies of IADR's 81st general session. The Professor of Restorative Dentistry in the School of Dentistry at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne's work has furthered the understanding of oral health care needs of the ageing population and in particular the association between oral health status and nutrition. He has more than 100 publications to his credit and has presented many of these findings at major conferences worldwide.

Dr Maxine Partridge has been named the recipient of the Oral Medicine and Pathology Research Award. The initial focus of her research was to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of tumors and their associated precursor lesions, with the aim of using this information to improve diagnosis and treatment. Her career spans over two decades as a clinician, teacher and researcher. She has previously been the recipient of many awards and is currently senior lecturer at the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Deptartment at King's College Hospital.

The 2003 Wilmer Souder Award for research in the field of dental biomaterials was presented to Dr David Watts, Professor of Biomaterials at the University of Manchester. Dr Watts graduated with a BSc in chemistry and physics from the University of Wales in 1967 and gained his PhD in polymer science in 1970 His research focused on the structure-property relationships of polymers used in dentistry and particularly upon the nature and effects of setting reactions. The Wilmer Souder award is the oldest of the IADR's 15 Distinguished Scientist awards.