Arne Schäfer of University Medicine Berlin (Charité) will study why severe periodontitis may affect young and pregnant women more often than men. Two other teams will examine GLP-1 medicines and oral bacteria in diabetes.
In late September 2026, Eli Lilly described orforglipron as a once-daily, non-peptide oral GLP-1 option. The company also reported cardiovascular safety alongside sustained A1C reduction and weight loss in its largest and longest type 2 diabetes study.
For dental teams, the common thread is clear. These studies focus on conditions that cross medical and dental care.
Three projects target distinct clinical questions
Arne Schäfer of University Medicine Berlin (Charité) will lead "Understanding sex-specific mechanisms of periodontitis: Identification and characterization of pathways that determine the increased risk of severe periodontitis in young and pregnant women". Yvonne Jockel-Schneider of Universitätsklinikum Würzburg is the co-applicant.
The project receives €63515. It will examine pathways that could explain the higher risk seen in young and pregnant women despite comparable lifestyles and risk factors. The stated goal is more individualized care and a better understanding of periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases.
The largest award is €120000. It will fund "The Effect of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Oral Health". Madline Priska Gund of Saarland University Medical Centre is the main applicant. Daniella Pilon Muknickas and Matthias Hannig are also part of the project.
A 2026 diabetes-related study in the European Heart Journal cites the pre-registered trial number NCT05597202, illustrating that research into nitrate and nitric-oxide pathways is an active area of cardiometabolic investigation. The finding provides wider research context for examining whether diabetes and periodontal status are associated with oral nitrate reduction, without establishing an outcome for the Eklund-funded project.
Eduardo Montero of the University Complutense of Madrid will lead "Oral Nitrate Reduction Capacity in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus across Different Periodontal Status". The project includes a multidisciplinary group of co-applicants and supervisors.
It receives €61980. The researchers will assess whether diabetes changes the ability of oral bacteria to produce beneficial nitric oxide. They will also test whether nitrate reduction capacity could become a biomarker linked to oral health and blood glucose regulation.
The questions are specific.
Research funding follows the clinical overlap
The three awards cover periodontology, bioinformatics, operative dentistry, preventive dentistry, medicine and public health. The mix reflects the programme's focus on questions that cross the boundary between dental disease and systemic health.
Prevention and evidence are also part of the wider professional discussion. A separate student competition reported by The Young Dentist focused on infection control and public health education. The Eklund grants support research questions that may shape future understanding and clinical decisions.
Dental reviews continue to describe a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease. That includes the use of chairside screening and risk assessment.
None of the three projects is presented as a completed clinical recommendation. Their value will depend on the evidence they produce. The selected questions are concrete: identifying sex-specific inflammatory pathways, clarifying oral effects linked to a widely relevant medicine class and testing a possible biological link between diabetes and oral microbial function.
The most recent independent material reviewed does not show a follow-up outcome, final publication or regulator ruling specific to these grants.
An established international programme
The Eklund family owns TePe Oral Hygiene products. In 2015, the family established the Eklund Foundation through a donation of MSEK 50 to support research and education in the odontological field.
The foundation says it is now supporting dentistry-related research for the 11th consecutive year. Since 2016, it has distributed up to €275000 annually to dental research worldwide. This year's recipients were selected from a large number of applications submitted internationally.
"This year's selected projects reflect the diversity and scientific quality of dental research today," says Joel Eklund, Chairman of the Board, Eklund Foundation. "Each project addresses an important clinical question with the potential to contribute new knowledge for the dental community and, ultimately, improve patient care."
The next application period starts in the spring of 2027. The available evidence points to a focused use of research funding. Three defined clinical questions receive support, but none is presented as a finished solution.
For dentists and patients, the immediate result is not a new treatment protocol. It is a stronger research pipeline linking periodontal disease, oral medicines, diabetes and public health.
