Japan Dental Association Best Smile of the Year 2015 Award Ceremony

The Japan Dental Association held the "Best Smile of the Year 2015" award ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo on November 9.

Launched in 1993 as part of the "8020 Campaign" promoting the goal of maintaining 20 or more natural teeth by age 80, this campaign aims to foster a correct understanding of dental health. With the slogan "Good teeth, good smiles for all of Japan," this year marks its 22nd awards ceremony.

Voted on by the 65,000 members of the Japan Dental Association, actress Tao Tsuchiya and professional tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka were selected as this year's celebrities with the most wonderful smiles.

Upon receiving her award, Tsuchiya expressed her joy: "Since childhood, I've had a complex about my smile and struggled with smiling naturally in acting. But with the support of those around me, I was able to build my smile step by step. I'm truly happy."

Matsuoka, beaming, stated, "I don't know why I won this award. But one reason is definitely this smile!" He also revealed that his phrase "Smile, especially when times are tough," featured in his daily calendar "Every Day, Shuzo!", received significant support.

In the Smile Photo Contest category, which captured exceptional smiles, eight winning entries were announced from 6,325 submissions nationwide. Chiharu Miyazawa won the Grand Prix for her photo capturing the moment a high school baseball cheer squad erupted in joy at victory.

Photographer Shinpei Asai, who served as the judging committee chair for the second consecutive year, commented, "Behind the over 6,000 smiles submitted, there were countless stories. It felt like those stories were emerging, making the judging process very lively. It made me realize once again how important laughter is for people."