Develop recommendations for integrating oral health into broader health care strategies and strengthening collaboration across health professions.
Approach:
Consensus development: The European Federation of Periodontology and the European Association of Dental Public Health convened a multidisciplinary working group whose consensus was published in Periodontology 2000.
Expertise represented: The group included specialists in periodontology, cardiology, diabetes care, family medicine, public health, social care, and health education.
Key Findings:
The consensus called for greater collaboration among dental, medical, and public health professionals, integration of oral health into prevention strategies, and reduced disparities in access to prevention and care.
Oral diseases affect approximately 3.5 billion people worldwide and share risk factors with other noncommunicable diseases, including added sugar, tobacco, harmful alcohol use, and unequal access to care and nutritious food.
The consensus highlighted links between periodontal disease and systemic health, particularly diabetes. Lead author Moritz Kebschull said evidence is clearest for diabetes, where treating gum disease helps patients control blood sugar.
Recommendations included twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste, daily interdental cleaning, reducing added sugar, avoiding tobacco and harmful alcohol, and scheduling dental visits according to individual risk and clinical needs.
The consensus cited systematic reviews reporting reduced plaque accumulation and improved gingival health with oscillating-rotating powered toothbrushes, and identified stannous fluoride toothpaste as an evidence-supported adjunct to mechanical plaque removal.
The authors recommended strengthening oral health education across health professions and incorporating oral health into routine care when appropriate.
Interpretation:
The consensus frames oral health as part of broader prevention and health care strategies and emphasizes collaboration across professions.
Limitations:
The provided context does not report study methods, evidence-grading details, or limitations of the consensus.
Conclusion:
The consensus was presented on September 3, 2026, at an International Association for Dental Research meeting in Lisbon, during a symposium supported by Procter & Gamble.
Pregnant patients with type 1 diabetes had higher bleeding-on-probing and plaque levels than healthy controls in a small pilot study, though most other periodontal measures did not differ significantly between groups.
