News

• Cardiologists should be aware of the connection between gum disease and heart disease and encourage their patients to be screened for periodontitis • Patients with gum disease should manage their cardiovascular disease risk factors Madrid, Spain, 19 February 2019. Proper oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist can support cardiovascular health. This, in a nutshell, is what dental and heart experts agreed today at a joint workshop in Madrid. Representatives from the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) reviewed the evidence linking cardiovascular diseases and gum disease (periodontitis) to prepare joint recommendations for health professionals and patients.

There have been some interesting developments in dentistry and periodontology already this year. We have seen the release of the NHS Long Term Plan and more coverage of issues related to diet and caries, periodontal diseases and systemic disease, and NHS availability. Although it was very disappointing to see that periodontal disease was not mentioned in the NHS plan it was good to see that there was an emphasis on prevention and for the delivery of care to vulnerable groups. We are continuing to try to work to promote improved periodontal care provision for all, with associated health benefits and improved quality of life. This month sees the Joint Workshop on Periodontology and Cardiovascular disease being held in Spain by EFP and the World Heart Federation – there is representation from the UK, and this may help broaden the awareness of research findings on this relationship to professionals and the public.

We are pleased to share with you two documents received from the Office of the Chief Dental Officer, England: • A summary of the NHS England Long Term Plan, which sets out some of the key areas where they see the value of the continued integration of oral health in general health pathways. • An update on the Starting Well Core initiative which was identified in the Long Term Plan as an initiative which supports broader health development and contributes to a strong start in life for children.

Establishing good oral hygiene habits early in a child’s life will help to prevent tooth decay and gum disease in the future. As part of last year’s Gum Health Awareness Day campaign, the BSP focused on raising awareness of the importance of gum health in childhood. Our campaign ‘A lifetime of smiling’ reinforced the message that it is never too early to develop good oral hygiene habits. We produced a range of educational materials that are available on our website as pdf downloads: https://www.bsperio.org.uk/patients/gumhealthday2018/index.html We are also proud to promote the excellent work that has been done through a collaboration between Oral-B and the University of Leeds, in creating the Strong Teeth Children’s Toolkit. The Strong Teeth support package and resources have been developed to help the dental team provide effective oral health advice to parents and their young children. Through their joint working, Oral-B and the University of Leeds, led by Dr Peter Day, engaged with dental teams, parents and children from various backgrounds and communities, to develop the resources. In addition, they used psychological theory and research to develop evidence-based materials, in order to maximise the chance that parents of young children will adopt the advice and establish protective home-based oral health habits for life. It is their hope that the resulting Strong Teeth resources, training manual and videos will help dental professionals to have effective oral care conversations with parents of young children and support the wider campaign aim of achieving a decay free childhood for children in the UK. We have made the resource available to view and download on the Professionals, Publications page of our website: https://www.bsperio.org.uk/publications/index.php If you would like a Strong Teeth toolkit for your practice, please contact the Oral-B customer support team: customerservice@dentalcare.co.uk (0870 242 1850)

The BSPerio have produced a series of webinars which discuss and explain the need for the new classification.

1. What is your position in the BSP and what does this role involve? I am the BSP Honorary Editor. This role has the responsibility for all the publications the society produces, both hard copy and electronic, using multiple media. The Honorary Editor attends the council meetings. 2. Where are you based during your working week? Private referral Periodontal Practice, limited to Periodontics and Implant Dentistry, Winchester, Hampshire. Until very recently, I worked part-time in the West End of London, for a 15-year period. 3. Which aspect of your job do you most enjoy? a. The joy of successful clinical outcomes with my patients b. Sharing my passion for perio with our colleagues

Happy New Year everyone! What a year it has been already! There has been a lot of activity and enthusiasm, especially with the new classification. This year is set to be a very exciting one, with the BSP Conference at Brighton and the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the BSP - the Early Career Group has a big part to play. At the BSP Conference in Brighton, the ECG session have a Q&A session on ‘speciality training for tomorrow’. This session is open to anyone who is looking for advice on different pathways for speciality training in Periodontics and how to build their CV.

Welcome to 2019 from the British Society of Periodontology - we currently live in interesting and somewhat uncertain times, but this has been the case in one way or another ever since BSP was first formed, in the year that saw the release of such films as The Third Man, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore! The US Number 1 single in January 1949, 70 years ago, was "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"... an early request for implant treatment? It is a real honour to take on the role of President for 2019. I hope that I can carry on the amazing work of my predecessors and work with our incredibly supportive executive team, with Council, and with you all as members of BSP to help serve and support you and to promote and develop periodontology within and more especially outside our profession.

The BSP has created a decision-making flowchart (algorithm) to help practitioners adapt to the new classification. This document is essential for all practitioners and Periodontists in guiding you through the decision-making process to arrive at the correct diagnosis for your patients. You can view and download a pdf version of the flowchart on our Publications page. The BSP team are in the process of producing a laminated version, which we hope to distribute in the coming weeks. We are grateful to our sponsors Johnson & Johnson and Oral-B who have kindly contributed towards the cost of producing and circulating the flowchart, thereby ensuring that we adequately support the dental profession in their diagnoses and treatment of periodontal patients.