Nigerian dentist and oral health advocate, Dr. Adekemi Adeniyan, has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Roux Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious honors in global health.
The award, presented annually by David and Barbara Roux and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), recognizes individuals who have used health data to improve the lives of people in their communities.
Dr. Adeniyan, who grew up in Agege, Lagos, overcame childhood struggles with dental shame and lack of access to oral care to become one of Nigeria’s leading voices for dental health equity. Her journey from a slum in Lagos to the global health stage is a testament to resilience, purpose, and compassion.
Speaking after receiving the award in London, Dr. Adeniyan described the moment as “a victory for every child who has ever hidden their smile.” She added, “When we ignore the mouth, we’re ignoring the body. Oral health is the doorway to overall wellbeing.”
Through her organization, the Dentalcare Foundation, Dr. Adeniyan has revolutionized rural oral healthcare in Nigeria. Under her leadership, the foundation deployed mobile dental clinics and launched the country’s first solar-powered tele-dental kiosk, bringing care to more than 100,000 people in underserved communities.
But Dr. Adeniyan’s work goes beyond clinical outreach. As the founder of Smile Superheroes, she created a suite of creative oral health education tools — including a children’s book, The Girl Who Found Her Smile, a theme song, and a virtual reality (VR) experience, designed to make oral hygiene engaging and relatable for children.
The project, she explained, was inspired by her own experience as a child who couldn’t smile due to dental issues.
“For 16 years, I lived with shame,” she recalled. “I didn’t even know dentists existed until I was in dental school. The day I first visited a dentist, I walked out feeling free. That was when I knew what I wanted to do, help children like me find their smiles early.”
Dr. Adeniyan’s innovative storytelling approach has transformed oral health education in schools across Nigeria. The Smile Superheroes initiative has been translated into Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, French, and even a Hijabi version for northern communities, ensuring inclusivity and cultural connection.
Parents and teachers have testified to the project’s impact. “My children now brush more often and even remind me about dental visits,” said Taiwo Oluwadamilare Adenekan, a parent in Ondo State.
Dr. Adeniyan’s tele-dental kiosk and mobile clinic models have been hailed as groundbreaking in addressing Nigeria’s deep oral health gap.
With over 200 million people and fewer than 5,000 dentists, access remains one of the nation’s biggest health challenges. In some rural areas, she notes, “a community of 100,000 people may have only 15 dentists.”
The Roux Prize, which comes with financial support, will enable her to scale up her tele-dental kiosks, expand the virtual reality oral health education model, and translate more of her educational materials into local languages.
