EFP releases three videos to commemorate its 30th anniversary

The EFP has published three videos to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of its foundation at a meeting in Amsterdam on December 12 and 13, 1991.

The short videos, available on the EFP’s YouTube channel, offer three perspectives on the work of the EFP over the last three decades.

The first video, Foundation and evolution of the EFP, traces the growth of the federation from that foundational meeting where 11 national societies of periodontology “brought together their knowledge, drive, and vision of what perio is” to its present status as a “global influencer” with 37 affiliated societies from six continents.

Dutch periodontal academic Ubele van der Velden describes how the origins of the EFP date back to a dinner he had with French clinician Jean-Louis Giovannoli, where they discussed how their national periodontal societies were facing similar challenges and the idea emerged of joining forces.

Mariano Sanz, who chaired the EFP’s workshop committee for many years, takes up the story and describes the expansion of the EFP during the late 1990s, giving the EFP “a richer, more international scope” and how the federation had become “a powerhouse of periodontal science and practice.”

Current EFP secretary general Nicola West then brings the history up to date, describing the further growth of the EFP, how it became “more diverse and influential”, and how in 2019 the federation became a global body with the arrival of its international associate members from Latin America, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.

The second video, EuroPerio as the global perio meeting point, focuses on the EFP’s triennial congress which “brings together the very best expertise from the world of periodontology and to share vision, evidence, and resources”. Jean-Louis Giovannoli describes the first EuroPerio, which took place at EuroDisney in Paris in 1994 and how it set the scene for the future editions of the congress.

Francis Hughes, who chaired EuroPerio8 and is the current chair of the EFP’s congress committee, describes how “the congress became more and more successful after the leap in quality we saw in EuroPerio7 (Vienna, 2012)” and how EuroPerio8 (London, 2015), the first congress to attract more than 10,000 attendees, “set a gold standard for the future.” The EuroPerio story continues with Michèle Reners describing the new formats, new technologies, and new angles introduced at EuroPerio9 (Amsterdam 2018), which she chaired.

The third video, Thirty years of projects at the service of gum health, describes the EFP’s portfolio of scientific and educational campaigns and publications to engage with all members of the dental community as well as the public. Filippo Graziani, EFP president 2019-2020, describes the initiatives of Perio Workshop, Perio Master Clinic, and Gum Health Day. Joanna Kamma, EFP president 2005-06 and current EFP editor, describes the role of publications, led by the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, and the EFP’s activity on social media.

The video concludes with current EFP president Lior Shapira talking about the EFP’s campaigns on the links between periodontal disease and other health conditions, and its educational activities including the postgraduate symposium and the Perio Sessions webinars.

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