Introduction

Professor Van B. Haywood DMD was presented withan award in recognition of his work into aesthetics dentistry, most notably tooth bleaching at this year's World Aesthetic Congress (WAC) by the British Dental Bleaching Society (BDBS).

Professor Van Haywood is from the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, School of Dentistry, Medical College of Georgia and in 1989 he co-authored with Dr Harald Heymann the first publication on Nightguard vital bleaching (at-home bleaching). In the UK tooth whitening is the most requested amongst all cosmetic dental procedures.

They discovered that through customising fitted mouth trays, patients could safely sleep with a tooth whitening gel (placed inside the tray) and their teeth whitened while they slept. Since 1989, Prof Haywood has published over a hundred papers on the topics of tooth whitening and aesthetics and in 1997 he co-authored an article on extended treatment (six-months) of tetracycline-stained teeth using the Nightguard technique.

The BDBS was set up with the aim of lobbying for changes in tooth bleaching legislation and to assist with the continuous education and support for dentists in tooth whitening techniques.