A research collaboration between Professor Ian Needleman at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, Professor Helen Worthington at the University of Manchester, the Cochrane Oral Health Group and the Universities of Bonn and Schleswig-Holstein has been awarded 2nd place in the 2009 DGP Meridol Award.

The research 'Full-mouth disinfection for the treatment of chronic periodontitis', published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (2008; 35: 591–604) investigated non-surgical approaches to managing periodontal diseases. A key finding was that new approaches to treatment, such as one visit full mouth debridement, were as effective as traditional methods of care.

The 2009 DGP Meridol Award represents another achievement for the Cochrane Oral Health Group, part of a worldwide non-profit organisation providing up-to-date information about the effects of oral health care.

The prize is also another achievement for the International Centre for Evidence-Based Oral Health (ICEBOH), which is based in the Unit of Periodontology at the Eastman. The research had previously been awarded the German Cochrane Centre Prize for 2007.