Three months to go to Gum Health Day 2020

Preparations by the EFP and its 37 affiliated national societies of periodontology for activities to celebrate Gum Health Day 2020 on May 12 are well advanced.

Using the slogan “Say no to bleeding gums”, this year’s periodontal-health awareness day will seek to raise public awareness of the importance of identifying bleeding gums as a sign of gum disease. People with bleeding gums will be encouraged to visit their dentists for periodontal check-ups.

The EFP has prepared a toolkit for this year’s awareness day including posters, banners, videos, infographics, graphics for use on social media and various templates. These materials, which can be edited and translated as needed, were sent to the national societies in December last year.

In addition, a second batch of materials – including more videos – will be made available in the coming weeks.

To help support activities for Gum Health Day 2020, the EFP has also provided an updated dossier on periodontal disease, a new edition of its institutional brochure Meet the EFP, and a revised version of its guide to organising successful press conferences about the awareness day.

The EFP invites not only all its affiliated societies to take part in Gum Health Day 2020 but also dental practices, university departments, dental companies, organisations involved in gum health, and individual clinicians. 

All organisations and individuals who take part in the awareness day are invited to share material via social media using the hashtag #GumHealthDay and to sign the EFP Manifesto on periodontal health and general health, if they have not already done so.

Andreas Stavropoulos, EFP co-ordinator of Gum Health Day 2020, said: "This year's slogan uses a clear sign of gum diseases – that is, bleeding from the gums – which most of the people can relate to, and we hope to communicate the message that bleeding gums are absolutely not normal!"

Gum Health Day 2020 is the seventh EFP-promoted annual awareness day implemented by the national societies of periodontology and the initiative is now global in its reach and impact.

Last year, Gum Health Day activities (focusing on the aesthetic aspect of periodontal health, using the slogan “Healthy gums, beautiful smile”) were organised in 47 countries in four continents by 35 EFP-affiliated societies and 12 other societies.

In 2018, 41 societies took part in what was then called European Gum Health Day, up from 27 in 2017. The initiative, originally known as the European Day of Periodontology, started in 2014 with activities in just one country, Spain.

GUM HEALTH DAY 2020 – FIND OUT MORE