News

The ADA Forsyth Institute welcomed oral health leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and advocates from around the world for its 2026 Fundraiser at Renaissance Golf Club.  The event provided networking opportunities, games and leisure at the clubhouse, a round of golf, incredible tricks from mentalist and motivational entertainer Tom Indigo, and, most importantly, conversations directed toward a brighter future for patients, providers, accessibility, and innovation in oral health. The 2026 Fundraiser was made…

Expanded technology and operational support will help strengthen medical-dental integration, improve patient care and expand research capabilities Somerville, Mass., 6/16/2026 – The ADA Forsyth Institute today announced it has selected PDS Health Technologies™ to implement its dental-optimized instance of the electronic health record system Epic®, used at the nation’s leading hospitals and health systems, at…

The inaugural dentech-Asia conference convened key opinion leaders, investors, researchers and innovators from around the globe with a bold new vision: to build a bridge from East to West, connecting innovation with investment to accelerate oral health like never before. The conference officially opened on May 11, 2026 at Seoul National University’s Siheung Campus Convention…

The Somerville-based nonprofit rose in rankings from No. 4 in the previous fiscal year  Somerville, Mass. – The ADA Forsyth Institute ranks No. 1 in funding to U.S. dental institutions, according to the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) rankings for fiscal year 2025. The NIDCR announced that ADA Forsyth researchers brought in over $11.8 million in grant funding in 2025.  ADA Forsyth has reached the…

Kathy Eklund felt a pull on her heartstrings when, during a ForsythKids school visit, she heard a first grader plead, “Please, please, help my mommy get my teeth fixed!”  Before she left the school, Eklund connected the child with a social worker and later followed up with a local community health center. She tried to reach the child’s family, but the phone was disconnected; the family…

In a newly published study, ADA Forsyth Institute Associate Professor Batbileg Bor, Ph.D., and postdoctoral fellow Deepak Chouhan, Ph.D., led a research team to a fundamental discovery about Saccharibacteria, revealing mechanistic insights into their function in the oral microbiome, their role in immune modulation, and, importantly, their contribution to gum disease (periodontitis).  Saccharibacteria are ultrasmall bacteria that live on the surface of larger bacteria hosts, forming a relationship…

The ADA Forsyth Institute’s first international oral health summit, dentech-Asia, will offer in-depth discussion from key members of the U.S. dental investment and innovation ecosystem.  The conference’s second panel discussion offers a roadmap to scale up ventures in oral health by tapping into the lucrative U.S. market.  Influential speakers will address each key barrier to unique dental markets in the U.S. and Asia. Each expert will…

ADA Forsyth’s international oral health summit, dentech-Asia, will serve as a bridge between the rich environment for oral health innovation in Asia and the United States’ investment ecosystem. On May 11-12, attendees will network with top leaders in oral health based in both Asia and the West.  The event’s first panel discussion will feature the following academic leaders of high-impact dental schools across Asia to discuss innovative approaches to oral…

New partnership powers biotech entrepreneurship in the Boston area  Somerville, Mass., 04/24/2025 – The ADA Forsyth Institute, a leader in dental and craniofacial research and oral health technology development, and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), the driving force behind Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem, have partnered to accelerate development of biotech innovations shaping the future of oral and overall health. ADA Forsyth and MassBio signed a memorandum of…

The ADA Forsyth Institute joined 12 other highly innovative Massachusetts-based companies at Gillette Stadium as part of MassEcon’s 22nd annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards. ADA Forsyth won the Gold Award in the Greater Boston Region, recognizing the positive economic impact generated by our 2025 relocation to a state-of-the-art, LEED Platinum facility at 100 Chestnut Street, Somerville. The move brought more than $100 million in research funding, a growing workforce,…

Renowned microbiology researcher has advanced the field of oral biology, performing groundbreaking work in uncovering “microbial dark matter” and mechanistic insight into the oral microbiome  Somerville, Mass., 03/26/2026 – Professor Xuesong He, D.D.S., Ph.D., of the ADA Forsyth Institute has been named a Distinguished Scientist in Research in Oral Biology by the International Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR). “It is truly…

Porphyromonas gingivalis, an oral microbe notorious for its role in the progression of gum disease, is one of the most studied members of the human oral microbiome. A new ADA Forsyth Institute study begins knocking down another domino in recognizing P. gingivalis’ ability to forge its niche below the gum line, contributing to periodontitis progression, chronic infection, and ultimately, an effect on systemic health. The paper, published in the Journal of Oral Microbiology, demonstrates that P. gingivalis uses sphingolipids – unique membrane lipids that…

13 GROWING MASSACHUSETTS COMPANIES NAMED WINNERS OF MASSECON IMPACT AWARDS Honoring Facility Expansion and Investment, Additional Jobs, ED&I Practices and Community Engagement Watertown, Mass. – MassEcon, the state’s private sector partner in promoting business growth in Massachusetts, today announced its 22nd Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Award winners, recognizing 13 companies, including the ADA Forsyth…

TM7x, a strain of Saccharibacteria, is an ultra-small bacterium that lives in the human mouth. As an episymbiont, it depends on its host microbe, Schaalia odontolytica, for essential nutrients, making it highly specialized and seemingly incapable of surviving on its own.  Scientists at the ADA Forsyth Institute first cultured this ultra-small, episymbiotic bacterial type Saccharibacteria about a decade ago. Despite its discovery, the mechanisms that allow it to…

Clinical trial conducted at The ADA Forsyth Institute showed proof-of-concept for IR Scientific’s Sensi-IP technology  Somerville, Mass., 02/02/2025 – A clinical trial conducted by the ADA Forsyth Institute, a global leader in oral health research, demonstrated significant reduction in dentin hypersensitivity (DH) from a novel bioactive glass incorporated in a toothpaste. The first-in-human trial established the safety and efficacy of Sensi-IP, a bioactive glass technology developed by IR Scientific. Researchers…