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Leading experts make the case for a collaborative management of periodontitis together with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, smoking and hyperlipidaemia.
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The EFP and WONCA Europe launch the Perio & Family Doctors campaign, sponsored by Curasept, featuring informative materials for oral and non-oral health professionals, and for the general public.
Brussels, 10 October, 2023. An ongoing and open exchange between oral-health providers and family physicians can effectively improve the quality of their patients’ treatment and wellbeing, and in certain cases even save lives. The closer the collaboration between dental and general practitioners, the bigger the improvement in their patients’ treatment standards, particularly in relation to serious chronic conditions such as diabetes, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Family doctors should be informed about gum diseases and their consequences, while oral health professionals should be made aware of the significance of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors.
This lies at the core of the new outreach campaign Perio & Family Doctors, an initiative jointly developed by the EFP (European Federation of Periodontology) and WONCA Europe (European branch of the World Organisation of Family Doctors), and sponsored by Curasept, an EFP partner.
In 2022, 18 experts from the EFP and WONCA Europe examined the role of family physicians and the oral-health team and formulated a series of recommendations for both groups of clinicians. Their conclusions were published in a scientific consensus report published earlier this year in the EFP-edited Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
“This groundbreaking campaign marks a giant leap forward in enlightening family doctors, periodontists, and other oral health providers about the potential for closer collaboration. Together, we can proactively tackle and manage prevalent systemic health conditions that impact patients worldwide, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, obesity, diabetes, smoking, and hyperlipidaemia,” explains Darko Bozic, EFP president. “Our campaign is also addressed to the general public, as patients should be aware of the advantages and benefits of good oral health,” Prof Bozic indicates.
"In light of our recent findings, it is imperative to recognise that periodontitis transcends its localized origins in the oropharynx,” highlights Shlomo Vinker, president of WONCA Europe. “Instead, it emerges as a condition intimately intertwined with broader systemic disease states. To address this paradigm shift, the collaboration between dentists and family doctors becomes paramount. Together, we must institute proactive strategies for the early identification of periodontitis within primary care centers and, conversely, of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes within dental settings.
Prof Vinker adds: “Strengthening the bond between oral health professionals and family doctors is instrumental not only in the early detection and management of NCDs but also in fostering healthier lifestyles. The development and evaluation of pathways for early case detection of periodontitis in family medicine practices and NCDs in dental practices marks the next frontier in our collective pursuit of comprehensive healthcare.”
The Perio & Family Doctors campaign materials include infographics and other digital content available at the EFP website at efp.org/periofamilydoctors/. “Our aim with these materials is to make visual and intuitive the core messages of the consensus report, which thoroughly examined the latest scientific evidence available supporting that periodontal disease, in particular periodontitis or chronic inflammation of the gums, is independently associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnoea, and Covid-19 complications,” explains Prof Anton Sculean, chair of the EFP’s Projects committee.
“Research shows that severe periodontitis is the sixth most common disease globally and yet its impact on general health is still so little known,” says Giulia Giovannardi, International Business Development Manager at Curasept. “We at Curasept have always been committed to finding new innovative solutions to improve oral care. Oral care plays an important part in the general well being of a person. For this reason, we are proud to support the research of our scientific partners to advance the level of awareness and treatment of patients.”
EFP, global benchmark in periodontology
The EFP (European Federation of Periodontology, www.efp.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of periodontal science and the importance of gum health for oral-health professionals and the public. Its guiding vision is “Periodontal health for a better life”.
Founded in 1991, the EFP is a federation of 38 national periodontal societies representing more than 16,000 periodontists, dentists, researchers, and oral-health professionals in Europe and around the world. It organizes events and campaigns grounded in evidence-based science in periodontal and oral health, including EuroPerio (the world’s leading congress in periodontology and implant dentistry), Perio Master Clinic, and Perio Workshop. Gum Health Day, its awareness campaign for the public celebrated annually on 12th May, brings key messages on gum health to millions of people across the world.
The EFP also organizes workshops and outreach campaigns with its partners: past projects have covered the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and caries, as well as women’s oral health during pregnancy.
The extensive list of EFP publications include the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the research summary JCP Digest, and the online magazine Perio Insight, which offers expert views on periodontal science and clinical practice. The federation’s work in education is also highly significant, notably its accredited university-based programmes for postgraduate education in periodontology and implant dentistry. The EFP has no professional or commercial agenda.
WONCA Europe
WONCA Europe (www.woncaeurope.org) represents 47 member organisations and more than 90,000 family doctors, and is the academic and scientific society of WONCA for general practice/family medicine in Europe.
WONCA Europe is one of the seven regional branches of WONCA (World Organisation of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians, www.globalfamilydoctor.com), which consists of 122 member organisations in 102 countries, with a total of 500,000 family doctors around the world. Founded in 1972, it represents and acts as an advocate for its constituent members at an international level, where it interacts with world bodies such as the WHO.
Curasept
Curasept S.p.A. is an Italian company entirely focused on Oral Care, a field in which it is a market leader thanks to over twenty years of commitment in research & development aimed at creating functional, reliable and innovative solutions for both chemical and mechanical oral hygiene.
Since its foundation in 2001, the company has been working alongside Dentists, Dental Hygienists and Pharmacists to spread innovative techniques and tools to combat disorders of the mouth. Its aim is to accompany patients and consumers during their lifetime from 0 to 120 years, offering a complete range of solutions for treatment, prevention and daily oral care according to every need.
In Italy Curasept has about 200 employees and collaborators. In addition, it collaborates with several research centers and with several prestigious Italian universities for the organization of training courses and scientific studies in the Oral Care sector. Almost 33,000 Italian dental practices work with Curasept and its products are distributed in 99.1% of pharmacies. Abroad, Curasept is present in more than 40 countries through a network of distributors.
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Notes for the editor:
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