Gum Health Day – ‘a great success’

Gum Health Day 2019 on May 12 was an intercontinental success with activities taking place in at least 47 countries, organised not only by national societies of periodontology but also by universities.

All over the world – from Finland in the north to Chile in the south; from Mexico in the west to Taiwan in the east – periodontists and dental students took to the streets and the media to spread the message “healthy gums, beautiful smile”.

As well as activities by nearly all the 37 societies that make up the EFP, there was participation by the Ibero-Panamerican Federation of Periodontology (FIPP).

And just before the awareness day took place, the EFP was contacted by universities in Moldova and Bangladesh who wanted to join in.

In Moldova, a country where there is no society of periodontology, Gum Health Day was marked with an open lecture at Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The lecture covered the impact of air pollutants on periodontal health and explored the connection between environmental impact and periodontal lesions.

In Bangladesh, the University Dental College Graduates Society (UDCGS) supported Gum Health Day by sharing the EFP-produced materials with various dental organisations via social media, by signing the EFP Manifesto on perio and general health, and by arranging an article in a dental publication.

Overall, the range of activities was as wide as ever, with free periodontal screenings, the handing out of leaflets and oral-hygiene products, special lectures and presentations at universities, and interviews on television and radio.

On top of that, many perio societies and individual periodontists used social media to spread the health-awareness message.

"Gum Health Day 2019 was focused on the importance of gum health for aesthetics, as part of its importance for the human wellbeing,” said Lior Shapira, co-ordinator of the event.

“The motto ‘Healthy gums, beautiful smile’ was spread in 47 countries around the world by the national periodontal societies and the EFP, using EFP materials. It was a great success and we are looking forward to Gum Health Day 2020!"

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