On August 20, the Japan Dental Association held the 2021 Student Clinician Research Program (SCRP) Japan National Selection Competition online. After making it to the final selection round, along with three other Japanese student representatives, fourth-year dentistry student TANAI Airi (Faculty Advisor: Professor OKAMURA Hirohiko, Department of Oral Morphology) was awarded first place.

In honor of her outstanding achievement, an award ceremony was held on October 28, where Dean of the Okayama University Dental School NAGATSUKA Hitoshi presented Ms. Tanai with the winning trophy and commendation plaque.

This national dentistry competition encourages students to take initiative in basic or clinical research and present their projects in English. This year, twenty-one representatives, out of the twenty-nine dental universities in Japan, participated in the SCRP competition. The winner is invited to represent Japan at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).

As a representative of Japan, Ms. Tanai will present her research - the molecular mechanism by which periodontal disease stunts fetal-placental development - at the IADR conference in March 2022 (Atalanta, USA).

【Comment from TANAI Airi】
I am honored to have represented Okayama University at the 2021 SCRP Japan National Selection Competition. Through this competition, I have learnt many technical skills. But one non-technical lesson I cherish the most is the importance of teamwork, respect, and appreciation. I am confident that this experience will be a great asset in the future. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the teachers and faculty members for their continuous support.

【Comment from Professor OKAMURA Hirohiko】
I would like to congratulate Ms. Tanai for winning the Japan Dental Association 2021 SCRP Japan National Selection Competition. Ms. Tanai came to research everyday after lectures and clinical practices on the weekdays and even came on the weekends. Because of student entry regulations due to COVID-19, her research process was not a smooth experience. Even then, she did not give up, and with the support of many teachers and graduate students within and outside of our laboratory, she was able to complete her research project. As an IB school graduate, Ms. Tanai has experience presenting in English, but it should be noted that scientific presentations can be exceedingly difficult. Ms. Tanai’s diligent character allowed her to answer tough questions from the judges without hesitation in the final round. In addition to the SCRP competition, Ms. Tanai also published a review article to the Journal of Oral Biosciences as the first author and was awarded an outstanding award (Undergraduate student division) at the 126th Annual Meeting of The Japanese Association of Anatomists and an exemplary researcher award at the 29th Annual meeting of the Society for Hard Tissue Regenerative. I have great expectations for her future and hope that she will continue to work hard in her studies and in her research as a role model for her juniors.

【Comment from Dean NAGATSUKA Hitoshi】
Ms. Tanai, congratulations for placing first in the Japan Dental Association 2021 SCRP Japan National Selection Competition! I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the faculty members who guided Ms. Tanai in her research efforts, especially her faculty advisor Professor Okamura. It is a great honor for the Okayama University Dental School that one of our students placed first in this competitive national selection competition. I hope that Ms. Tanai will continue to flourish in her research activities internationally and contribute to the development of the field of dentistry.