National societies prepare plans for Gum Health Day 2019

Gum Health Day 2019 takes place on May 12, and EFP-affiliated national societies are drawing up plans for activities and campaigns based around the slogan “Healthy gums, beautiful smile”.

The focus is on how healthy gums contribute not only to better oral and overall health, but also to good dental aesthetics, self-confidence, and improved quality of life.

A video promoting the event has just been released by the EFP, which encourages people to share it via social media. More videos on Gum Health Day 2019 will be published in the coming weeks.

The federation has also sent a substantial “toolkit” to its 30 affiliated members, providing them with materials and templates to be used in their individual approaches to the May 12 awareness day.

The toolkit includes: videos, infographics, logos, posters, banners for websites, and material for social media. It also features a brochure explaining how to write a good press release together with templates for presentations, press releases, and other material.

“The tradition of Gum Health Day is an important initiative of the EFP to promote periodontal health worldwide and our national societies are enthusiastic to contribute to its success,” said Lior Shapira, the elected member of the EFP executive committee who is co-ordinating the event.

Gum Health Day 2019 will be the sixth annual awareness day organised by the EFP and its national societies. It builds on the success of European Gum Health Day 2018, which was joined by 41 countries from four continents and involved more than 100 initiatives.

The May 12 event has been rebranded to reflect the global growth of the EFP, which is due to welcome four societies from beyond Europe as international associate members at the general assembly on March 30 2019.

What started in 2014 as the European Day of Periodontology and then evolved into European Gum Health Day now becomes – simply and clearly – Gum Health Day.

In the context of new international members, the forthcoming Perio Master Clinic 2019 in Hong Kong, and engagement with worldwide organisations in joint projects, Gum Health Day 2019 will play its role in promoting the EFP as a global authority in periodontology and implant dentistry.

See also: Conclusions from European Gum Health Day 2018