A joint workshop organized by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), held November 11-14 in Segovia, Spain, aimed to establish a consensus knowledge base of the scientific evidence on the association between periodontitis and systemic diseases, specifically cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and adverse pregnancy complications.
"International collaboration is necessary to better understand and advance the science behind the relationship between periodontal disease and systemic disease. By working together, periodontists in both Europe and the U.S. will be able to better promote the importance of periodontal health as part of overall health in our regions and worldwide," said Robert Genco, DDS, PhD, co-chair of the EFP-AAP 2012 Workshop Organizing Committee, in a press release.
More than 70 experts in the specialty of periodontology were invited to participate in the workshop and were assigned to one of three workgroups: cardiovascular disease and periodontal disease; diabetes and periodontal disease; and adverse pregnancy outcomes and periodontal disease. The workgroups were responsible for reviewing the scientific evidence in their respective areas and developing a consensus statement on each topic.
The workshop was supported by an educational grant from Colgate-Palmolive. Workshop proceedings will be published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology and the Journal of Periodontology in 2013.
