• This alliance will work in collaboration with prominent international opinion leaders, as well as a number of scientific societies

• An informative consensus document will be prepared for oral healthcare professionals, dentists, and hygienists, as well as for patients, on the use of mouthwashes according to EFP Clinical Practice Guidelines

The SEPA Foundation and LISTERINE® join forces in a new initiative entitled “Principles for Oral Health”, an ambitious global agreement to promote periodontal health and ensure that oral healthcare professionals have access to the fundamentals of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of periodontitis.

The first project within this cooperation framework is called “Essentials”. It will aim to specifically reflect on the efficacy and value of antiseptics and clinically tested antibacterial mouthwashes included in the EFP S3 systematic reviews and simplify relevant conclusions about the current use of mouthwashes as well as their adjuvant role in the mechanical removal of dental plaque.

As highlighted by Dr. Paula Matesanz, the vicepresident of SEPA (Spanish Society of Periodontology), “We must promote periodontal health with clear criteria that are easy to implement among the general population, reinforcing prevention as a daily habit, while facilitating access to existing scientific evidence for oral health professionals.”

Global Impact

The activities to be developed will have a global impact, with a special focus in seven countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as Brazil and the United States.

Dr. Soha Dattani, Director and Head Scientific Engagement, Listerine® Oral Care, EMEA, points out: “We are excited about this ambitious project and the potential it has to improve people’s oral health.”

One of the main projects is the creation of a group of global opinion leaders who will establish practical recommendations on the use of oral antiseptics to help control and manage plaque biofilm and inflammation in patients subject to supportive periodontal therapy: Dr. Paula Matesanz, the vice president of SEPA and member of the Etiology and Therapy of Periodontal and Peri-implant Diseases Research Group (ETEP) of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), is the project leader, while the scientific leader of the initiative is Dr. David Herrera, a trustee of the SEPA Foundation and member of the ETEP Research Group, along with numerous accredited experts. Among the Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) from Europe are those from Italy (Filippo Graziani, University of Pisa, SIdP); experts from the UK (Nicola West, University of Bristol, BSP-EFP and Iain Chapple, University of Birmingham); from France (Marjolanie Gosset, Université Paris Cité, APHP, and president del French Society of Periodontology and Oral Implantology, SFPIO); from Germany (Henrik Dommisch, Universitätsmedizin Berlín, DG Paro); from Spain (Elena Figuero and Ana Molina, ETEP Research Group of UCM, SEPA; Beatriz De Tapia, International University of Catalonia); Ricardo Fischer, representing the University of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Society of Periodontology, Sobrapi; and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology (JCP), Panos Papapanou, also representing the American Academy of Periodontology. Given the preventive nature of the project, Rhiannon Jones, from Cardiff University and the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, will also contribute.

The expert consensus session will be held on April 5 at The House of Gums, a SEPA center located in Madrid dedicated to the promotion of periodontal, oral, and general health.

In order to promote collaboration and teamwork to achieve better health for the general population, the project will seek significant institutional support. As Dr. Matesanz says, “the collaboration with medical scientific societies and universities will also be a critical component in order for this project to become a point of reference for the dental community.”