The Niken Scholarship Award (NiMS) is an appreciation given by the University of Tokushima, Japan, to the late Prof. drg. Niken Widijanti Sriyono, MD.Sc., for her dedication and contributions in the field of dentistry. Throughout her life, she devoted herself as a lecturer in the Department of Preventive Dental Medicine and Community Dental Health Sciences, FKG UGM. The Niken Memorial Scholarship Award for Health Promotion (NiMS-HP) itself is an award granted to young Indonesian lecturers and researchers with a background in health promotion.
In this year, which marks the third year of NiMS, Drg. Fitrina Rachmadanty Siregar, MPH, or more affectionately known by her students as drg. Danty, successfully won the NiMS-HP award, surpassing participants from 8 registered universities, namely Tokushima University, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Universitas Hang Tuah, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Udayana, and Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar.
The award ceremony was held on 4 December 2023, virtually, starting with a keynote lecture by drg. Rosa Amalia, MDSc., Ph.D., titled "Evolving Challenges in Dental Public Health: A Multifaceted Perspective." Subsequently, drg. Danty, as the winner of the NiMS-HP, was given the opportunity to present her research titled "Elevating Oral Hygiene in The Digital Age with Augmented Reality Tooth Brushing Reminders."
In her presentation, drg. Danty explained that Augmented Reality (AR) technology can be utilized to enhance dental hygiene. "AR Tooth Brushing Reminders will signal users at specific times when it's time to brush their teeth," she explained. "In addition to reminding users to clean their teeth, this AR program will display images of different types of teeth and how to brush them," drg. Danty added.
This program represents a breakthrough in dental health promotion efforts by utilizing state-of-the-art Augmented Reality technology in this digital era. Augmented Reality has been used in marketing and advertising industries and has even become popular in the entertainment world as a gaming platform. In the field of education, this technology is being introduced to the public as an interactive learning medium. The application of AR in dental health promotion is expected to encourage the public to pay more attention to their dental and oral health through new and engaging media. From the perspective of health practitioners and academia, this is certainly in line with the Tri Dharma of Higher Education and is a real contribution to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the third pillar of Good Health and Well-Being.
Congratulations to drg. Danty and the team! May this award inspire all members of the academic community at FKG UGM to serve the nation with the spirit of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education.
