Sumita Mitra: The Indian American scientist behind 1 billion flawless smiles

 From being a soft-spoken girl, who used to marvel at the chemicals and their reactions in her father’s laboratory, to a trailblazer in dental nanomaterials, Sumita Mitra’s rise to fame has been nothing short of phenomenal. This Indian-American chemist loves to develop new technologies and then transform them into products to improve lives. She recently received the prestigious European Inventor Award 2021 for her work in integrating nanomaterials in dental fillings. Presented by the European Patent Office (EPO) annually, the award recognizes the contribution of outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond who have made an exceptional contribution to society, technological progress, and economic growth. The winners were selected by an independent international jury. 

In an exclusive chat with Global Indian, Mitra recalls the journey that helped shaped her.  

“Though it is our experiences that shape us, it is our roots that anchor us. I’m an Indian at heart and my roots have been in Kolkata, where I grew up,” she says. Mitra pursued her MSc in Chemistry from the University of Kolkata. She then moved to the US for her Ph.D. in Organic Polymer Chemistry from the University of Michigan following which she joined 3M’s Corporate Research Labs in 1978.   

Sumita Mitra in her lab. Pictures Courtesy: EPO

By 1983 she began working in the dental products department, which is now called 3M Oral Care Systems. It was during this time, that she became aware of the limitations of the materials being used in dental fillings at the time — they were either too weak to be used on biting surfaces, or lost their polish very soon. Nanotechnology was emerging as a field of research and Mitra decided to explore how it could be integrated with dentistry; she wanted to use her Read More