In Nigeria, less than 20% of the population has access to oral health care. This reflects a stark reality in many parts of the world--dental health remains one of the most neglected areas of public health.Dr. Adekemi Adeniyan, Executive Director of the Dentalcare Foundation, rural dentist, and advocate for oral health advancement in Nigeria, has been named IHME's 2025 Roux Prize winner. The Roux Prize recognizes individuals all over the globe who have used evidence-based health data to improve population health. The prize is sponsored by IHME’s founding board member David Roux and his wife, Barbara.• Learn more about Dr. Adeniyan's work and impact in her community: https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/library/2025-roux-prize-recipient-dr-adekemi-adeniyan• Read the press release announcement about Dr. Adeniyan for this year's Roux Prize: https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/ihmes-2025-roux-prize-awarded-rural-health-equity-advocate_______________________________Transcript Rhonda Stewart: Welcome to Global Health Insights, a podcast from IHME, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Hi, I’m Rhonda Stewart.     In Nigeria, less than 20% of the population has access to oral health care. This reflects a stark reality: in many parts of the world, dental health remains one of the most neglected areas of public health. The Dentalcare Foundation has deployed mobile dental clinics and Nigeria’s first solar-powered tele-dental kiosks, delivering care to over 100,000 people in rural communities.    Dr. Adekemi Adeniyan is the Executive Director of the Dentalcare Foundation. She is a rural dentist, advocate for oral health advancement, and winner of the 2025 Roux Prize. Now in its 12th year, the Roux Prize recognizes individuals all over the globe who have used evidence-based health data to improve population health.    The prize is sponsored by IHME’s founding board member David Roux and his wife, Barbara.    Dr. Adeniyan is passionate about collaboration. The Dentalcare Foundation has trained over 2,500 teachers and community health workers to promote oral health in their localities, helping to create a network of advocates that multiplies her impact across borders.    Dr. Adeniyan joined the conversation from Nigeria.    Dr. Adeniyan, congratulations on being named the 2025 Roux Prize winner on behalf of the Dentalcare Foundation. Before we dive into your work, tell us about why the foundation was established – what are the problems that it was created to solve?    Dr. Adekemi Adeniyan: Thank you so much. It’s such an honor to be here and such an honor to be the 2025 Roux Prize winner.    You know, I grew up in Agege, Lagos, Nigeria. It’s kind of a slum and a crowded community. And in that community, access to health care, especially dental care, is almost nonexistent. And for me, I saw many of our neighbors living with toothache for years. They couldn’t afford treatment. And I myself, at the age of 7, I had toothache and I couldn’t even afford to tell my parents about it because one, there was no access to a dental care facility. And at that time my parents couldn’t even afford it.    So communities like this experience children’s laughter being silenced with pain. And this is something that can easily be prevented. So years later, as a dentist, I got to serve in a rural community in Nigeria. That was when I realized that little had changed. Nothing had changed. In fact, patients would travel hours to come into my dental clinic just to have one tooth removed. They wouldn't be able to pay for it.    I would see many children come in, some who had never owned a toothbrush or seen a dentist in their life. And this broke my heart. Day to day, day to day.    So that was why I decided to start Dentalcare Foundation – to make sure that every child has access to dental health care no matter where they are born, no matter where they find themselves.    And the mission of the organization is