A note from our President…
The EFP’s clinical practice guidelines have established themselves as essential resources globally for healthcare professionals, bridging the gap between advanced research and everyday clinical practice to enhance patient care. S3 guidelines, the highest-level guidelines, offer oral healthcare providers detailed, evidence-based, therapeutic pathways tailored to individual patient diagnoses. By delivering precise recommendations on specific interventions, the guidelines aim to optimise treatment outcomes for patients with periodontitis and peri-implant diseases, supporting clinicians in achieving the highest standards of patient care.
The BSP has been at the forefront of adapting these guidelines for the UK health system with notable success, influencing national healthcare policy and care pathways. We have recently adoloped and published the 2024 Prevention and Treatment of Peri-implant Diseases https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104980 and in May 2025 the Treatment of Stage IV Periodontitis: Rehabilitation of Severe Periodontitis Patients https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0300-5712(25)00291-X
It takes time to demonstrate the reach and impact of these guidelines and I am delighted to share with you for the first time the metrics of the first BSP S3 guideline clinical practice published in 2021 the UK based treatment guidelines for stage I-III periodontitis https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2020.103562. This first BSP guideline paper has been downloaded >55,000 times. This figure suggests that the oral healthcare professions in the UK are engaged in this process and evidences the influence, reach and impact of the BSP in conducting these guidelines. This is a truly amazing statistic and my sincere thanks go to everyone involved in this lengthy process. I also wish to recognise our partners and stakeholders who, whilst not directly involved in the workshop meetings, provided invaluable support in helping us disseminate the guidelines.
The next BSP guideline will be the S3-level Dentine Hypersensitivity Clinical Practice Guideline. We aim to publish this paper at the end of the year but will continue to keep our members updated on this exciting project.
Key to the success of our clinical practice guidelines are patients and the BSP lead the way with our own Patient Forum. Led by Professor Ian Needleman, the Patient Forum is made up of a group of volunteers who regularly meet to share their experiences and ideas. The Forum was established in 2017 to give a voice to the community to help shape the future of gum health in the UK and now forms an integral part of the Society.
For the first time at EuroPerio11, patients took part in a session, moderated by Professor Needleman, entitled “Patient Involvement to Enhance Periodontal care.” This featured powerful testimonials and included a member of the BSP Patient Forum. The patients raised awareness of the seriousness of gum disease and provided a unique perspective of the condition, healthcare and how it is managed. The session was a great success and the congress delegates commented on the impact of hearing the patient viewpoint. Congratulations to all of the patients who took part and bravely shared their personal journey and experiences of gum disease. It is vitally important that this important work is continued.
Looking ahead to The Oral Health Summit in Edinburgh our BSP patients will very much be part of this event too! BSP forum members will be contributing to an interactive “Question Time” session led by Professor Shauna Culshaw and Dr Louise O’Dowd. I hope that you will support this special joint venture with the BSDHT, where we have planned an exceptional line-up of leading global experts to present a fantastic scientific programme to appeal to all members of the dental team.
Click to view the BSP special Thursday programme.
Click to view the Friday & Saturday programme.
Reduced price tickets are available for BSP members, with an additional early bird discount if you book before 27th June!
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s newsletter and catching up on BSP news and events.
Have a great month ahead!
Best wishes
Nicola
Professor Nicola West
June 2025