Gum Health Day 2019: Croatia – public event and university lecture

The centrepiece of the Croatian Society of Periodontology’s activities for Gum Health Day was a public event in Split, which was organised by society members Marija Roguljić, Dario Bojčić and Ana Družijanić.

Stands with promotional and educational materials were set up in the most frequented pedestrian zone of Split, to engage children and their parents with oral-health education and demonstrations of oral hygiene.

Promotion of the event included providing materials to dental students at universities in Split and Zagreb and to clinical periodontology units in both cities. Educational materials, including the EFP Dossier on Periodontal Disease and materials from the Oral Health & Pregnancy project were provided to these units.

In Zagreb, Larisa Musić organized a lecture and a workshop on “evidence-based oral hygiene”, aimed at students, residents of different specialties, and employees of the School of Dental Medicine.

Dr Musić’s lecture addressed how scientific research and evidence find their way into clinical practice and become the oral-health instructions dentists give to their patients, and how to assist patients in behavioural changes in the setting of a dental practice.

The workshop for students aimed to develop communication skills and practise demonstrating correct oral hygiene, with the aim of becoming more efficient in patient education and counselling.

The Croatian perio society produced a series of clinical videos (demonstrations of oral hygiene inside the mouth) at the Department of Periodontology at Zagreb’s School of Dental Medicine. These videos, used during the lecture and workshop, will be placed on the society’s website to help with patient education.

On top of all this, there was extensive activity on social media, on the society’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

In terms of media coverage, national channel HRT broadcast interviews with Dr Roguljić, students, and patients about Gum Health Day, while another programme featured coverage of the public event in Split.