Registration open for landmark dental event held in the UK

Headed by King’s College London Prof. Francis Hughes, EuroPerio 8 is expected to bring together thousands members of the profession at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre in June next year. Hughes told Dental Tribune Online on Wednesday that participants can look forward to one of the largest and most successful congresses on periodontology and implant dentistry ever held in Europe.

Over 100 distinguished international speakers have confirmed their participation in the scientific programme, which will be complemented by a number of sponsored sessions and free oral sessions selected from submitted abstracts.

“There is lots for all the dental team,” Hughes said. “We are particularly keen to attract many general dentists and hygienists. This is a great opportunity for us to promote the profile of periodontology within the profession and more widely in the population both within the UK and throughout Europe.”

According to a recent study conducted by Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, periodontitis, particularly in its severe form, remains highly prevalent around the world, with almost every tenth person suffering from the condition. In Britain, at least one in 15 adults are currently affected by the most severe form of periodontal disease, according to National Health Service figures.

Experts will discuss these developments at EuroPerio 8, as well as other issues in the field. The event will also be a showcase for the most recent product innovations in oral health, which will be presented by up to 80 sponsors, including the UK’s own Dentaid, as well as major international dental consumables companies Johnson & Johnson, Oral-B and Sunstar.

Newly elected EFP President Prof. Phoebus Madianos from Greece stated, “A major priority for EFP is the general recognition of periodontology as a dental specialty in Europe. Therefore, the organisation is working with all relevant parties to promote the rationale of periodontology being recognised among regulators, licensing bodies and policymakers across Europe. Closely related to this goal of full recognition is the creation of a common curriculum for postgraduate studies in periodontology, promoted by the EFP according to standardised criteria, a project aimed at enabling free mobility of periodontal professionals and citizens across the EU, the ultimate aim being to improve the quality of treatment and people’s general health.”

Currently, the EFP represents 16,000 dental professionals, who belong to its 29 member associations, including the British Society of Periodontology located in Bubwith in Yorkshire. Its last congress brought more than 7,000 visitors to Vienna in Austria in 2012.

Dental professionals interested in the London event can register at the event’s official website, www.efp.org/europerio/europerio8.