We have worked hard to put together a high-quality programme with the latest research in the fi eld An interview with Prof. Søren Jepsen, Scientifi c Chair of EuroPerio9. news This year’s EuroPerio, the world’s leading congress in periodontology and implant dentistry, is expected to attract up to 10,000 periodontists and members of the dental team to learn about the latest in periodontal re- search and clinical practice, in June in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In this interview, Prof. Søren Jepsen, past President of the European Feder- ation of Periodontology (EFP) and Sci- entifi c Chair of EuroPerio9, outlines the event’s scientifi c programme, which features more than 100 top- level speakers and many innovations. The detailed programme is available at www.efp.org/europerio9/programme/ scientifi c. Why should a dentist or a hygienist consider attending EuroPerio9? Because EuroPerio9 is their op- portunity to obtain the best insight on periodontology and implant den- tistry available in the world until 2021—when EuroPerio10 takes place. EuroPerio9 has gathered the best pool of talented speakers from Eu- rope and around the world for an au- dience that is increasingly global too. We’ll enjoy a great venue in a city as attractive and well-connected as Amsterdam. And then there are the events of the networking programme, the fact that all happens in only four Prof. Søren Jepsen previous separate track for den- tal hygienists. We have added more sessions on the af- ternoon of Wednes- day, 20 June, to take better advan- tage of the time before the offi cial opening ceremony. We have arranged sessions in such a way that many more dental profes- sionals will be able to present their short oral presentations and posters for discussion. We have included the well-established stars in the specialty and have more women speakers and young speakers than ever before. We have built on the best of our success- ful experiences and we have added a number of new formats. What are those new formats? We have designed eight new for- mats. First, on the opening day, we will have a special double session with the Japanese Society of Perio- dontology, one on biofi lm and anti- infective therapy, the other on regen- erative periodontal and implant ther- apy. Second, the Perio Talks will offer fresh, TED Talk-style presentations given at the fi rst EFP Alumni Sym- posium. Third is a lively debate about the use of antibiotics, led by Profs. Andrea Mombelli and David Herrera, in which attendees will be able to use their smartphones as voting devices. Fourth, for the fi rst time, a live surgery session will take place at a EuroPerio congress. A new, rarely performed proce dure with implants will be carried out by Prof. Giovanni Zucchelli and Dr Mar- tina Stefanini at the Academisch Centrum Tandheel kunde Amsterdam dental school and broadcast in real time. The fi fth major innovation is the interdisciplinary treatment planning session, in which cases will be shown days and the choice between four par- allel tracks of presentations accord- ing to the attendee’s interests. All in all, attending EuroPerio9 is the most enjoyable and cost-effective way to be fully updated on the best in perio- dontology and implant dentistry available today. Will EuroPerio9 be similar to Euro- Perio8 (London, UK, 2015) and Euro- Perio7 (Vienna, Austria, 2012)? It will be defi nitely unique! We have created the Team Session track, which is more inclusive than the and the audience will choose be- tween different options for treatment. Sixth is a 3-D session with Dr Pierpaolo Cortellini and Prof. Stefan Renvert on reconstructive surgery on teeth and implants, in a large audi- torium. Seventh is the EFP Perio Con- test, for which presentations will be judged not only by an expert panel but also by social media voting be- fore the congress. The three fi nal contestants will be invited to pres- ent their work on stage on the last day of the congress. Eighth is the Nightmare Session, in which Drs Mario Roccuzzo, Giulio Rasperini, Jean-Louis Giovannoli and Caroline Fouque will explore treatments that went badly. Being Scientifi c Chair of EuroPerio9 sounds like quite a challenge. How has the experience been? It is, indeed, an incredible chal- lenge, but also an opportunity to work with a wonderful team of perio- dontists and professional organisers. Together, we have worked hard to put together a high-quality programme with the latest research in the fi eld, the best professionals and the new formats I mentioned. I hope that EuroPerio9 will provide attendees with a fruitful and unforgettable ex- perience! “We are now aiming at personalised dentistry” By Dr Monique Danser, Netherlands has increased. There is more aware- ness now of the associations with var- ious systemic diseases, such as diabe- tes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and obesity. Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease with at least fi ve different do- mains of risk factors that simultane- ously play an important role. These are environmental factors, such as the subgingival bacterial biofi lm; ge- netic risk factors; lifestyle factors; systemic diseases, such diabetes; as well as other lesser known factors that are all tooth-related. The most widely accepted con- cept for a person developing perio- dontitis is that he or she is genetically susceptible and has an aberrant im- mune response and/or tolerance for some Gram-negative bacteria. Thus, a hyperactive infl ammatory process or the lack of resolving capacity cre- ates a favourable ecological niche in which proteolytic bacteria thrive. However, not everyone is equally sus- ceptible to periodontitis. Nowadays, we focus more on the individual life- style habits of the patient instead of just the initial therapy involving or not involving surgery. Although bacteria play a key role in the devel- opment of periodontitis, the severity of the disease is not entirely related to the sum of the duration of the presence or quality of the bacteria and the host. Therefore, we increas- ingly pay attention to nutrition and Monique Danser One of the World Health Organisa- tion’s main goals is to reduce tooth loss (edentulism) and increase the number of people who retain their natural den- tition in later life. Over the past dec- ades, the evidence of oral health play- ing an important role in general health AD Get your free sample TePe Interdental Brush Booth 11.19B L N 5 7 1 1 8 1 D A 04 EuroPerio9 · 20 June 2018 While the percentage of healthy people has grown during the last decade, severe periodontitis has re- mained at almost 10 per cent despite the fact that we have better health- care and screening systems, as well as invest in more prevention. New techniques for the surgical treatment of periodontitis, such as regeneration methods, tooth transplantation and dental implants, are currently in de- velopment. Every year, we encounter more cases of peri-implantitis. A good diag- nosis and indication for tooth replace- ment are therefore essential. Apart from no tooth loss, the ideal situation would be to have a tooth replaced by another natural tooth through stim- ulation of the periodontal ligament with growth factors or even with stem cell transplantation. Similar to the medical fi eld, guidelines are in de- velopment for helping practitioners to treat the patient optimally. A team approach is also essen- tial. As healthcare professionals, we need to offer prevention, lifestyle coaching and dental treatment at the same time in order to have happy pa- tients. This can only be accomplished by a professional team. Nr Monique Nanser is President of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Parodontologie [Nutch society of perio- dontology] and a member of the Euro- Perio9 organising committee. give dietary advice (e.g. intake of vitamin C, D and fl avonoids), as a healthy lifestyle and thus healthy diet contribute signifi cantly to the treatment process. Although we can- not change the genetics of the patient, we can at least enhance his or her im- mune system by means of probiotics and nutrition, among other things. Most patients suffering from per- iodontitis can be treated successfully and maintain their health. The group that does not respond well to therapy is actually rather small. Neverthe- less, we are working on better diag- nostic tools, such as blood and saliva tests, and collecting big data, with which we can improve our treatment. The number of parameters we can test is growing. We are now aiming at personalised dentistry. As periodontists, we increasingly have to treat cases that are more com- plex. In the future, we hope to better predict and identify patients who are more susceptible to the development of the disease. With all the informa- tion we hope to collect, we should be able to work on a positive outcome of the treatment for each patient and thereby reduce the individual risk of not responding well to therapy.