Experts gather in Madrid to review latest findings on links between periodontal diseases and diabetes

International experts from the fields of periodontology and diabetes gather in Madrid on February 19 and 20 to explore the latest evidence on the links between diabetes and periodontitis and to reach consensus conclusions.

The Perio-Diabetes Workshop, organised by the EFP and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in partnership with Sunstar, takes place at the SEPA Gum Health Centre in Madrid.

Fourteen experts – seven from each organisation – will explore three areas, basing their discussions on three reports prepared for the workshop:

1. An update on the evidence for pathogenic mechanisms that may link periodontitis and diabetes, prepared by Lior Shapira and David Polak, of the Hebrew University-Haddasah School of Dental Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel. Prof Shapira is deputy chair of the EFP’s scientific affairs committee.
2. A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic observational evidence on the effect of periodontal disease on diabetes: an update of the review of the EFP-AAP workshop, written by Filippo Graziani, Stefano Gennai, Anna Solini, and Morena Petrini of the University of Pisa (Italy). Prof Graziani is an elected member of the EFP’s executive committee.
3. An update of the evidence on the potential impact of periodontal therapy on diabetes outcomes, written by Phoebus Madianos of the University of Athens (Greece), who is also chair of the EFP’s scientific affairs committee.

In addition to professors Graziani, Madianos, and Shapira, the EFP participants in the workshop are Mariano Sanz (chair, workshop committee), Iain Chapple (secretary general), Juan Blanco (president) and Søren Jepsen (immediate past president). Maurizio Tonetti (editor of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology) will also join the meeting via videoconference.

The experts from the IDF are: Antonio Ceriello (Italy), Luca Lione (Italy), Martin Buysschaert (Belgium), Daniel Vegh (Hungary), Ryan T. Demmer (USA), Manu Mathur (India), and Eduard Montanya (Spain).

The workshop will be jointly chaired by Prof Sanz, professor and chair of periodontology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Prof Ceriello, head of the research department on diabetes and CVD at the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) in Barcelona and head of the diabetes project at IRCCS MultiMedica, in Milan. 

“Evaluating the available scientific evidence from both the medical and dental viewpoints will allow us to develop consensus guidelines on how physicians should evaluate the oral condition of their diabetic patients and how dentists should screen for the risk factors associated with diabetes,” said Prof Sanz. “This will be a major step forward towards a more comprehensive care of both diabetic and periodontal patients.”

“This is a unique opportunity for experts in diabetes to work closely with expert dentists, who are dedicated to take care of people with diabetes”, said Prof Ceriello. “The periodontal problems in diabetes are still neglected. This why the International Diabetes Federation, which represents the needs and the rights of people with diabetes all around the world, decided to start this co-operation. I am confident that this will be the first step of a very fruitful co-operation aiming to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes.

 “We are truly excited by the opportunity to bring together some of the top experts in the worlds of dentistry and diabetes care,” said Marzia Massignani, scientific affairs manager at Sunstar. “We recognise that professionals coming from both worlds are key to achieving this objective.

“Uniting the complementary expertise of the EFP and the IDF to collaborate on this shared vision is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to a more holistic management of diabetes and improved patient outcomes.”

The workshop will build on the work of the 9th European Workshop in Periodontology, organised by the EFP and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and held in November 2012, which explored the links between periodontal disease and various systemic diseases including diabetes. It clarified the evidence in key areas about the interrelation between oral and general health, exploring epidemiological association, risk factors, and pathogenic mechanisms.