Brussels, 18 November 2022. Interaction, cooperation, and common ground between periodontology and orthodontics will be the focus of Perio Master Clinic 2023, the conference for dental clinicians that the EFP will organise in Antwerp, Belgium on 3-4 March, 2023.

Perio Master Clinic is a triennial, hands-on conference which aims to upskill and update the technique and practical mastery of dental practitioners, so that they can take better care of their patients’ oral health but also so that they can treat the sequelae of periodontitis efficiently and esthetically. This edition of the conference will shed light on a combined periodontal and orthodontic treatment approach and management through implant dentistry under the theme “Perio-ortho synergy”.

Led by conference chair Peter Garmyn from Belgium and scientific chair Virginie Monnet-Corti from France, Perio Master Clinic 2023 features an innovative, dynamic and varied format. Every session focusses on a defined topic, wherein one speaker will introduce the topic and highlight its key aspects. This will be followed by a “duo” presentation by a periodontist and an orthodontist with their complementary perspectives, and finally a brief presentation of a clinical case that fits the topic of the session.

Furthermore, Perio Master Clinic 2023 is set to provide career-boosting training to attendees, thanks to its faculty of leading experts, who will teach the latest and most effective clinical techniques, based on sound scientific principles in periodontology, orthodontics, and implant dentistry. For an optimal learning experience, the number of seats is strictly limited - registration is open at the EFP’s website now for interested clinicians.

Challenging boundaries

Multidisciplinary collaboration between periodontists and orthodontists is key for the treatment of periodontitis in its advanced stages. Most severe periodontitis patients need orthodontic treatment, but orthodontists are sometimes afraid to treat them, which results in frustration when successfully treated periodontitis patients cannot complete their rehabilitation as implants cannot be placed without previous orthodontic treatment.

“Today most orthodontists would not treat stage IV periodontitis cases. That is why it is essential to reach a common understanding among perio and ortho professionals, which is what we hope to achieve with Perio Master Clinic 2023,” explains Dr Peter Garmyn. “It is about more than exchanging tips, tricks and techniques - our purpose is also sharing visions, challenging traditional boundaries, and finding synergies between both specialties, for the benefit of patients.”

“We have forged a complete scientific programme with an outstanding list of speakers, all leading specialists in their field,” sums up Prof Monnet-Corti, “so the delegates can feel inspired by the conference’s novel format and eager to apply the faculty’s expertise and vision to their daily practice. The treatment of complex cases of advanced periodontitis - right at the crossroads of perio and ortho - is one of the most exciting areas of dentistry today, and we will show that practitioners can still expect predictable, biological and aesthetic, long-lasting treatment outcomes in these periodontal patients.”

EFP, global benchmark in periodontology

The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP, www.efp.org) is a non-profit organisation 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 37 national periodontal societies representing more than 16,000 periodontists, dentists, researchers, and oral-health professionals in Europe and around the world. It organises 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 12 May, brings key messages on gum health to millions of people across the world.

The EFP also organises workshops and outreach campaigns with its partners: 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.