Colgate-Palmolive Dental Expert’s research has supported global launches of key products
ADA Forsyth adjunct faculty member Yun-Po Zhang, Ph.D., D.D.S., has been awarded the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) Distinguished Scientist Award in Pharmacology, Therapeutics, and Toxicology Research.
Currently serving as Colgate-Palmolive’s Senior Vice President and Distinguished Fellow in its clinical dental research department, Dr. Zhang’s 30-year career has been defined by the development of effective dental products which have been used by millions of people.
“It is a great honor to be a recipient of the 2025 IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in PTT,” Dr. Zhang said. “At Colgate-Palmolive, we are committed to reimagining a healthier future for all. One way we do this is through our oral health leadership. We know that one of the most important ways to promote oral health worldwide is providing innovative, science-backed products to the benefit of patients. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to put oral health research into action for the benefit of patients everywhere.”
Dr. Zhang received the award during the 2025 IADR/PER General Session & Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, on June 25-28.
Yun Po Zhang, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, ADA Forsyth
Senior Vice President, Colgate-Palmolive
In one of his most significant contributions, Dr. Zhang clinically established and confirmed that arginine-containing Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief toothpaste provides consumers with instant and long-lasting relief from tooth sensitivity. This achievement made a worldwide impact, with Dr. Zhang sponsoring and helping to organize conferences highlighting the product’s unique mode of action at conferences in Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Canada, and the United States.
As a Dental Expert at Colgate-Palmolive, Dr. Zhang successfully obtained FDA approval and the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance for Colgate Total Toothpaste, the first over-the-counter drug to reduce gingivitis.
He also supported the global launches of a variety of Colgate toothpaste products. These products offer consumers a wide range of benefits, including reduced rates of caries, gingivitis, and dentinal hypersensitivity; and teeth whitening through daily brushing with an affordable product.
“Dr. Zhang is truly a leader in translating clinical dental research into real-world health impacts,” said Maria Ryan, D.D.S., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Colgate-Palmolive, and a member of ADA Forsyth’s Board of Directors. “Colgate-Palmolive is a caring, innovative growth company and Dr. Zhang lives our values while demonstrating how effective products advance oral health throughout the world.”
Dr. Zhang started his career in clinical research in 1990, serving as a faculty member at the Forsyth Institute. From 1990 to 1993, he played a pivotal role in developing an in-situ demineralization/remineralization model and crevicular fluid method to assess tooth decay and other dental diseases. His work developed a strong mechanistic understanding of diseases associated with oral pathologies and informed the creation of many dental products used by millions of patients.
The IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Pharmacology/Therapeutics/Toxicology recognizes contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms, efficacy, and safety of drugs used to treat dental disease and associated symptoms such as pain and peri-operative apprehension. It encompasses study of analgesics, sedatives, fluorides, and other drug classes used by dentists.
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About IADR
The International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to drive dental, oral, and craniofacial research for health and well-being worldwide. IADR represents the individual scientists, clinician-scientists, dental professionals, and students based in academic, government, non-profit, and private-sector institutions who share our mission. Learn more at www.iadr.org.
About the ADA Forsyth Institute
The ADA Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children (later, the Forsyth Institute), to provide dental care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. While continuing to serve children in need, yet recognizing the ultimate goal is to prevent dental disease, the Institute in 1915 began to focus on scientific research and is today the world’s leader in oral health research. In October of 2023, the Institute joined with the American Dental Association to form the ADA Forsyth Institute, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach. Consistent with the Institute’s founding mission, the ADA ForsythKids mobile dental program continues to serve children in need.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA’s state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA’s flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA’s consumer website MouthHealthy.org.
