Mr. Makoto Nakao, Chairman of the Board of GC Holdings AG Recipient 2026 IDM Global Oral Health Progress Award
Chicago, IL – The International Dental Manufacturers Association (IDM) Global Oral Health Progress Award has been presented annually since 2016. With this award, the global manufacturers’ association IDM (International Dental Manufacturers) recognizes outstanding achievements in the promotion of oral health worldwide.
During an IDM Event on February 19, 2026, the Global Oral Health Progress Award was presented to Mr. Makoto Nakao, Chairman of the Board of GC Holdings AG and founder of the Nakao Foundation for World-Wide Oral Health.
Said IDM President Elect, Olaf Sauerbier, “Mr. Nakao served as a founding Board Member of IDM, playing a pivotal role in shaping it into the unified global voice of the dental manufacturing industry.”
A global oral health visionary, Mr. Nakao founded the Nakao Foundation for World-Wide Oral Health in September of 2018 in Luzern, Switzerland to address the following issues:
- Help with oral disease prevention on a global scale;
- Assist with the global aging of the population and the specific pressures that it puts on dentists to care for their geriatric patients;
- To assist higher education and scientific research;
- Promote research and education in the area of dental medicine.
IDM President Elect Sauerbier went on to say “After 42 years as Chairman of GC, Mr. Nakao retired and generously donated his privately held company shares to support the creation of the Foundation Nakao for Worldwide Oral Health, with the mission of advancing oral health worldwide. The award recognizes his commitment to IDM and his incredible contribution to global oral health.”
