More than 7,000 dentists gather in Barcelona for SEPA

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 2. December 2025

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BARCELONA, Spain: Periodontal and peri-implant diseases are experiencing a significant increase in Spain. Their prevention and management were central topics of the scientific programme at SEPA Barcelona 2025. Held last week under the theme “More knowledge, better clinical experience”, the congress and trade show had a strong interdisciplinary focus and was attended by over 7,000 dental professionals from 50 countries.

Organised by the Spanish Society of Periodontology and Osseointegration (SEPA) Foundation, the congress featured more than 200 national and international speakers across three educational tracks. All official sessions amongst these featured simultaneous interpretation into English. Dr Alberto Monje, scientific events officer at SEPA, said that the foundation had aimed to bring something new to the benchmark international event this year. “This year placed particular emphasis on simplifying the work of the everyday clinician to improve predictability and effectiveness in both the prevention and treatment of periodontal and peri-implant diseases,” Dr Monje explained.

The key topics covered in lectures, workshops and corporate forums included the relationship between oral health and general health, applications of artificial intelligence in dentistry, oral cancer prevention, implant therapy, and innovations in soft- and hard-tissue regeneration. Furthermore, medical periodontics, which expands oral cavity care to support improvements in overall health, featured prominently in the programme.

SEPA President Dr José Nart emphasised: “Today’s clinical periodontics cannot limit itself to plaque control or tooth preservation. It must take a leading role in the prevention and management of chronic non-communicable diseases as part of evidence-based, patient-centred medicine focused on overall well-being.”

Dr Nart added: “We cannot continue allowing lack of awareness or fragmented care to hinder coordinated management of oral and systemic health.” The event called for protocols to formalise collaboration between medical and dental professionals, as well as the integration of periodontal health into public health systems and the promotion of accessible preventive care policies.

Applying the most current knowledge to daily practice

The congress aimed to apply the most current and advanced evidence and the latest innovations in minimally invasive periodontal care to daily clinical practice. Dr Monje commented: “In a field in constant transformation, strongly influenced by artificial intelligence and robotics, the aim was to present a contemporary, interdisciplinary and realistic approach that is useful for everyday clinical care.”

For more than a decade, SEPA has been strongly committed to internationalisation. To that end, the event was designed as an international meeting appealing to clinicians from Spain, Latin America and non-Spanish-speaking countries. ExpoPerio, the trade show part of the event, featured 104 stands exhibiting the latest technological innovations and supported the establishment of strategic connections between clinicians and leading companies.

The event included the first SEPA–National Implantoplasty Network Symposium, a pre-congress session on peri-implantitis featuring periodontists, researchers, general dentists and biomaterials experts. The congress also featured the first SEPA Pharma, a meeting point for pharmacists and pharmacy teams intended to strengthen collaboration between pharmacy professionals and dental practices with the shared goal of improving the population’s oral health.

Commenting on the success of the event, Dr Monje said it was due to thematic diversity, the quality of the speakers and the global leadership of Spanish experts in the field of periodontics. He added that clinicians are attracted to interdisciplinary events that provide a comprehensive and integrated vision of dentistry.