Gum Health Day: a global ‘big buzz’
by Rowan Thomas
This year’s Gum Health Day delivered on its promise to raise global awareness and inform the public of gum diseases.
This year’s Gum Health Day, held in May, has been hailed as a resounding success.
Gum Health Day is held every year on 12 May. It is led by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and developed by its national member societies in more than 30 countries across all continents.
It aims to inform the public about the detrimental effects of gum diseases on both oral and overall health. These diseases include gingivitis, periodontitis, peri-implant mucositis, and peri-implantitis. There is also a focus on the advantages – including aesthetic advantages – of keeping their gums healthy at all times.
This year’s Gum Health Day carried a focus on gum care as a vital component of a healthy lifestyle.
Gum Health Day 2023’s slogan – ‘Healthy gums look good on you! Protect them!’ – was designed to convey the EFP’s core objective of ‘periodontal health for a better life’ while striking a positive tone of voice.
‘Gums play an important role in our general health but also in our appearance as they affect the overall image of our smiles,’ said Spyros Vassilopoulos, the elected member of the EFP executive committee who was coordinator of Gum Health Day 2023.
Many national societies, members and partners took part in this year’s gum health awareness campaign by planning local activities, sharing information (including the official video) on social media and embracing the slogan: ‘Healthy gums look good on you! Protect them!’
The EFP hosted a photo contest related to the slogan on Instagram. The three winners of this year’s photo contest have been announced as:
- Emanuele Vaia, Italy
- Emilio Mateo, Spain
- Lorelay Bragard, Brazil.
The finalists won a free registration to Europerio11 and the opportunity to have their photos illustrate future EFP publications.
Large impact
Gum Health Day 2023 had a large impact on social media. This was thanks to the active participation of members, followers and influencers.
On Instagram, followers used the special filter, shared EFP educational videos and created their own stories and posts using the dedicated campaign builder.
Spyros Vassilopoulos said: ‘On behalf of the EFP, I would like to thank everyone who joined us in this incredible celebration: national societies, members, press, followers, influencers, and partners.
‘Your support and reactions, “likes” and comments, and the inspiring stories you uploaded on Instagram helped us to create a powerful message and to disseminate the meaning of healthy gums for a better life. Together we can create a big buzz for gum health, there is no question about it.
‘See you next year and thanks again for embracing our campaign and our slogan, and don’t forget: healthy gums look good on you! Protect them, dear friends.’
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