First Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Named Awards Presented for VU Dentistry Research Projects
The first Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Named Awards were presented to researchers and students of the Institute of Dentistry at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University. The awards are intended to fund ideas and research projects in dental science. Six scientific projects shared a prize fund totalling nearly €35,000.
The named awards are financed from the investment returns of the Angelė and Sigitas Kazlauskas Endowment Sub-fund, established in 2024. The €4.2 million subfund aims to ensure long-term, sustainable funding for the development of pediatric dentistry at Vilnius University, the improvement of the quality of dental studies, and the strengthening of scientific research.
The largest awards, €10,000 each, were granted to two research projects. One of them was awarded to the project “Analysis of the Physicochemical and Biological Properties and Applicability of a Hydraulic Calcium Silicate Root Canal Filling Modified with Hydroxyapatite, PMETAC, and Silver Nanoparticles” (Prof. Saulius Drukteinis, PhD student Goda Bilvinaitė, Prof. Maria Teresa Arias Moliz, student Aloizas Linkevičius).
The second €10,000 award was granted to the project “Studies of the Therapeutic Effects of Extracellular Vesicles in Human Periodontal Tissue Organoids” (junior assistant Greta Aidukaitė, Prof. Vilma Brukienė, Dr Augustas Pivoriūnas).
A €5,000 award was presented to the project “Evaluation of the Physicochemical and Remineralising Properties of a Hydraulic Calcium Silicate Endodontic Filler Modified with Calcium Hydroxyapatite, Fluoridated Hydroxyapatite, and Magnesium Whitlockite” (student Paulina Mozūraitė, PhD student Goda Bilvinaitė, supervisor Prof. Saulius Drukteinis).
A €4,980 award was granted to the project “Investigation of the Association Between Genetic DEFB4 Variations and Oral Diseases in a Population of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” (student Karolė Simonė Motiejūnaitė, supervisor Dr Indrė Stankevičienė, Dr Kristina Daniūnaitė).
A €2,750 award was granted to the project “The Influence of Bone Density on the Accuracy of Dynamic Navigation in Dental Implantation: an In Vitro Study” (resident Ksenija Matvijenko, supervisor Dr Rokas Borusevičius).
A €2,250 award was granted to the project “Restoration of Endodontically Treated Teeth: In Vitro Micro–Computed Tomography Analysis of the Porosity of Different Barrier Fillings” (student Miglė Rudauskaitė, supervisor Dr Paulius Tušas).
Dr Angelė Matildė Kazlauskas (1935–2020) and Dr Sigitas Pranas Kazlauskas (1935–2005) were emigrant Lithuanians from the Biržai region who, as children, were forced to flee to the West with their parents during the Second World War. Angelė and Sigitas met during their studies in Canada, where they graduated together as doctors of dental surgery (DDS) and later established their own private odontology clinic, working successfully for several decades, often treating patients free of charge and constantly funding the treatment of orphaned children and their fellow Lithuanians who were underprivileged.