Innovation challenges
Teams of 2 to 5 receive a prompt based on a real oral health problem. Over one week, they design and plan a solution, then present it to a panel of judges and local dentists.
Team of 2–5→Prompt→1 week→Pitch
Queen’s Dental Innovation Society
Where dentistry meets innovation.
We give students a real oral health problem and one week to solve it. Teams design and plan a solution, then pitch it to a panel of judges and local dentists.
About QDIS
Fresh eyes on real dental problems.
QDIS is a new club at Queen’s for anyone interested in oral health. We bring together people with different skills, like research, design, engineering and business, and give them a real problem to work on together.
You don’t need to know anything about dentistry going in. A lot of good ideas come from people looking at a problem from outside the field.
1 weekFrom prompt to pitch
What we do
Our focus is the innovation challenge.
Alongside the challenges, we will also run workshops, guest speaker events and fundraisers.
Workshops
Short sessions to support you during challenge week and give feedback on each other’s ideas.
Guest speakers
Talks from local dentists and oral health professionals about the problems they see in practice.
Fundraisers
Fundraising events to support the challenges and the March 2027 competition.
The innovation challenge
Here’s how a challenge works.
You don’t need a dental or engineering background. Most teams will be figuring it out as they go.
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Step 1
Team up, get the prompt
Form a team of 2 to 5. Every team gets the same prompt, based on a real problem brought to us by local dentists.
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Step 2
Design and plan
Spend the week digging into the problem and working out a solution that could actually work.
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Step 3
Pitch it
Present to a panel of judges and local dentists. They’ll ask questions and tell you what they think.
Your solution could be
A deviceAn app or websiteA product ideaA new processSomething we haven’t thought of
Our prompts will be real problems that local dentists and the community actually deal with.
Events
What you can take part in.
It’s mostly about the innovation challenge. Most dates aren’t set yet, so follow us on Instagram to hear first.
Launch and info night
Meet us, find out how the challenges work and find people to team up with.
Innovation Challenge week
You and your team get one week to plan and work on your solution to the prompt.
Guest speaker night
A local dentist talks about the problems they run into day to day.
Fundraisers
Fundraising events to support our challenges. Dates will be posted on Instagram.
Dental Innovation Competition
Teams pitch their solutions to a panel of judges and local dentists.
Who can join
Open to anyone interested.
You don’t have to be in a certain program. Different backgrounds bring different skills to a team, and that’s the point.
Any faculty or program
Any year
Come solo or with friends
Free to join
No dental or technical experience needed.
Executive positions
Join the exec team.
Each VP will have 1 or 2 team members helping out, so there are plenty of spots to fill. Applications are open now.
VP Events
VP + 1–2 team membersPlans the challenge prompts and runs challenge week.
VP Fundraising
VP + 1–2 team membersPlans and runs fundraisers to support the club and the March competition.
VP Outreach
VP + 1–2 team membersFinds sponsors, contacts local dentists and builds connections for the club.
VP Marketing and Media
VP + 1–2 team membersRuns our Instagram and handles posters, photos and promotion.
Finance Director
Open positionManages the budget and keeps track of fundraising and sponsorship money.
Interested in an executive position?Applications are open now. Send us a message to apply.
FAQ
Questions people ask us.
Do I need to be in dentistry or health sciences?
No. Anyone interested can join, whatever you study. Teams work better with a mix of skills.
Do I need any dental or engineering experience?
Nope. You’ll learn as you go, and your teammates will know things you don’t.
How much time does it take?
Most of the work happens during challenge week. Outside of that, come to whatever you can make.
How does a challenge work?
Your team of 2 to 5 gets a prompt about a real oral health problem. You have about a week to design, plan and come up with a solution, then you present it to a panel of judges and local dentists.
How big are the teams?
Between 2 and 5 people. You can sign up with friends or find teammates at the info night.
Is there a fee to join?
No. Joining QDIS is free.
I’m a dentist or work in oral health. How can I help?
We’d love to have you judge a pitch or suggest a problem for a prompt. Organizations interested in sponsoring can reach out the same way. Send us a message.
Get notified
Be the first to know when the challenge starts.
Leave your info and we’ll email you when the innovation challenge opens. It’s free.