During the 1950s, the New Zealand Dental Association became concerned that more should be done to stimulate dental and oral research in this country and, in 1961, commissioned a report that recommended the creation of a dental research foundation. Established in May 1964, the New Zealand Dental Research Foundation awards grants for research projects related to dentistry. Its overall purpose is to "promote, foster and extend the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand".  The Foundation Board considers applications for funding to support new or ongoing projects, to purchase equipment, or for any other purpose that will result in the acquisition and/or dissemination of new knowledge relevant to dentistry. The Board annually invites applications for grants, assesses their quality with advice from national and international expert referees, ranks them and approves funding up to the level determined by that year's income transferred from the Foundation Trust.

Since its inception, the Foundation has provided financial support for numerous research projects related to dental and oral health, to help extend the boundaries of dental knowledge and to promote the fostering and extension of the study and practice of the art and science of dentistry in New Zealand. The number of awards offered varies each year and currently has an individual application ceiling of $15,000. 

Donations

Fund-raising started in 1964 with an inaugural grant of £2,000 from the Association, and a subsequent campaign eventually raised £70,000 from dental practitioners, the dental supply industry and other businesses. To manage the operation of the Foundation, two complementary governance bodies, a Trust and a Board, were established. The Trust is responsible for the accumulation and investment of the capital of the Foundation, while the Board decides the expenditure on a variety of research activities. In 2000, the Association launched a further fund-raising effort which has resulted in considerable growth of the Trust fund. NZDA biennial conferences now donate one third of their profit to the Foundation, and many NZDA members individually add to the investment via annual donations.

How can you help?

Recipients of the 2009 NZDA Research Foundation Awards

Mr Praveen Babu: Characterisation of natural regulatory T cells and Th17 cells in human periodontal disease.
 
Prof Richard Cannon: Equipment: DNA, RNA and protein analysis for dentistry
 
Dr Nicholas Heng: "Closing the Gaps": Completing the genome sequences of two strains of the bacterium Streptococcus salivarius.
 
Mr Ryan Kim: Wnt expression during early osseointegration of titanium dental implants

Ms Yu-Ping Lin: Immunohistochemical localisation of TLR2, TLR4, and the RANK/RANKL/OPG system in pulp and periradicular disease associated inflammatory root resorption.
 
Dr Brian Monk: Mode of action of the fungicidal P ma1p inhibitor BM2.
 
Mr Benedict Seo: Endoplasmic stress, inflammation and periodontal disease: Unfolded protein response pathways leading to the expression of Nuclear Factor k B.