ORCA Prize
Nominations for the ORCA Prize
Nominations for the ORCA Prize can be submitted via secretary@orca-caries-research.org. Deadline to do so is 15 January 2026. This prestigious prize is given to individuals, groups or organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions to matters concerning dental caries. Only ORCA members can make nominations for the prize, but nominees do not need to be ORCA members. Moreover, there are no restrictions for nominations with respect to age or seniority, and persons who have previously been nominated unsuccessfully can be renominated.
The main qualification is the nominee’s impact in cariology. This can be: original research work in cariology; the promotion of caries research; the implementation of cariology into practice; and major contributions to oral health with special respect to caries. In line with the breadth of research presented at ORCA congresses, we extend cariology to include other hard tissue disorders. The prize committee will evaluate a broad range of parameters including societal and scientific impact.
2024 AWARDEE
Peter Lingström
Peter Lingström received his dental degree from the University of Lund, Malmö in Sweden, before moving to Gothenburg for his PhD and the start of his academic career in cariology. After a brief period as associate professor in Kristianstad University in the south of Sweden, he returned to become professor of Cariology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Odontology, at the University of Gothenburg. In 2013 he took on the role of chair of the department of Cariology, and in 2018 he became director of the Institute. During his career he spent several stints as visiting professor: in Zürich, Glasgow and for more than a year In the Forsyth Institute in Boston. He has been a visiting professor for many years at the University of Sassari, in Italy and more recently in Health Sciences University Hokkaido, in Japan.
A main focus of his research career, spanning 35 years, has been the role of nutrition in caries, both in promoting caries, and in preventing it. He has studied using methodology ranging from basic science to epidemiology, the role of sugar, interactions of nutritional components with plaque composition and plaque pH, but also the effect of sugar replacement products. He has been one of the first to explore the common risk factors approach by looking at links with obesity and taste perception. His impact in the field, which is complicated and not always popular, has been very great and he is considered as one of the world-wide experts in this field, as can be assessed for example by the number of books he has contributed to, and the clinical guidelines that make use of his findings.
In several ways his contribution to cariology has been exceptional. He has set a great example of working in interprofessional groups and has shown the importance of crossing professional borders for care and science. There a few researchers in cariology, or even dentistry as a whole, who have performed so many clinical studies, many of them multi-centered randomized controlled trials, which requires persistence, organizational talent and an unwavering dedication to making a clinical impact. His unfailingly gracious and kind way of interacting with colleagues has been an important factor in his success and his achievements.