“Gums rock! Keep smiling!”

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 12. May 2025

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VIENNA, Austria: Since 2014, the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) has dedicated 12 May to the promotion of gingival health. The association’s Gum Health Day annually shapes key oral health information into bite-sized portions palatable for a diverse public. The message for Gum Health Day 2025 is that gingivae are central to oral function and therefore a healthy and happy life. This year, dental teams can once again help to promote gingival health, and the alignment of the campaign with EuroPerio11 in Vienna will help to bring the message to an even greater audience.

Following on from Gum Health Day 2024, which aimed to inspire younger people to prioritise oral health and prevent periodontitis, this year’s celebration aims to create awareness more broadly. The coordinator of Gum Health Day 2025, Dr Tali Chackartchi, commented in an interview that this year’s slogan was selected for its positivity, dynamism and catchiness. “We wanted a message that speaks to everyone,” she said, explaining that “Gums rock! Keep smiling!” associates good periodontal health with self-esteem, confidence and quality of life.

Dr Chackartchi emphasised: “We want to ensure that everyone—patients, healthcare providers and policymakers—understands that gum disease is preventable and that early action makes all the difference.” To achieve this, Dr Chackartchi said that it was necessary to broadly raise awareness about the importance of gingival health to promote preventive oral care and encourage policymakers to invest in it.

Challenges to promoting gingival health

Dr Chackartchi said that one of the greatest barriers to improving gingival health is lack of knowledge among the public. She explained: “Many people think bleeding gums are normal or that implants don’t require the same care as natural teeth.” Further challenges to be overcome include low awareness of the connection between gingival and systemic health and poor access to dental care in some areas. “[Gum Health Day] and its associates’ activities are addressing these issues through education, advocacy and equipping both professionals and the public with reliable, evidence-based information,” Dr Chackartchi said.

What is happening and how can dental teams get involved?

Campaign image created using the campaign builder tool.

As part of Gum Health Day 2025, national periodontics societies have been enlisted to run educational workshops and create awareness around gingival health locally, nationally and internationally. The EFP has provided new tools to make it easier for parties to spread the message, including the campaign builder tool.

Dr Chackartchi said: “Oral health professionals are at the heart of this campaign. They have direct access to patients and can make a real difference. The EFP is providing ready-to-use materials in multiple languages, along with the campaign builder tool, which allows practitioners to personalise visuals with [Gum Health Day] slogans and their own branding.”

There are many ways that dentists and their teams can contribute, including by sharing educational content online, engaging with patients, using the official Gum Health Day 2025 hashtags to amplify the message and organising free screenings or information sessions at clinics and community centres. “Even small efforts—like a single Instagram post—can help spread awareness and encourage better gum health habits,” Dr Chackartchi emphasised.

Gum Health Day 2025 falls within the same week as EuroPerio11, and the organisers have collaborated with the Austrian Society of Periodontology to bring a flagship event to the host city. On 12 May from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time, free dental check-ups will be provided in the gondolas of Vienna’s landmark Ferris wheel and in the EFP tent erected on Freudplatz 3, in front of Sigmund Freud Private University. Further information about the initiative is available here.

Topics:

General Dentistry

Tags:

European Federation of Periodontology EuroPerio Gingival health Gum Health Day Preventive care Systemic health

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