A commitment to successful peri-implant and periodontal health outcomes

In a watershed moment for continuing education, Oral-B and Straumann have recently announced that they have joined forces. By offering trusted science, brands and technologies, their strategic alliance is committed to helping dental professionals and their patients achieve successful peri-implant and periodontal health outcomes. The two giants in oral care envision that the alliance will set ambitious new standards in scientific education to elevate the importance of prevention.

Self-care around implants being as important as around natural teeth, periodontist Dr J. Leslie Winston, vice president of global healthcare measurement sciences at Procter & Gamble, believes that “the Oral-B/Straumann alliance will play an important role in enabling ongoing dialogue between dental professionals and their patients, so both understand the most up-to-date science on prevention of implant-related diseases and promotion of periodontal health”.

Similarly, Arik Zucker, vice president and head of the biomaterials division at Straumann Group, commented that the prevention of tooth and implant loss has been an important topic for the Straumann Group for many years now. “The alliance with Oral-B complements our efforts and offers solid ground for further scientific and educational activities that will enable more dental professionals to improve their patients’ lives,” he stated.

EuroPerio10: The official launch pad for the alliance

Oral-B and Straumann will launch the alliance on 17 June at EuroPerio10 in Copenhagen in Denmark with a sponsored scientific session titled “Limiting periodontal and peri-implant diseases during and beyond the pandemic: From the chair to self-care” and moderated by Dr Martina Stefanini from the University of Bologna in Italy. The session will feature lectures by Prof. Filippo Graziani from the University of Pisa in Italy, who served as the president of the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) in 2019 and 2020, and Dr Giorgio Pagni from the University of Milan in Italy. Organised by the EFP, EuroPerio is the world’s leading dental professional congress in periodontics and implant dentistry. Both Oral-B and Straumann are key industry partners of the EFP.

Beyond their scientific session at EuroPerio10, both companies will run activities to unveil their latest innovations in periodontal and peri-implant therapy. These include comprehensive Straumann biomaterials solutions for enhanced wound healing, bone regeneration, soft-tissue management and wound care, as well as the new Oral-B iO Specialised Clean brush head and the Oral-B iO10 with iOsense developed to empower patients in effective self-care at home.

Crucial: the education of patients on the importance of preventive self-care and clinical care

The World Health Organization states that approximately 30% of 65- to 74-year-olds in Europe are edentulous, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 69% of 35- to 44-year-olds in the US have lost at least one permanent tooth. Aside from placing a huge economic burden on patients and global healthcare, periodontal disease can affect overall well-being and has been associated with numerous systemic conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

It is therefore crucial to educate patients on the importance of preventive self-care and clinical care, and the Oral-B/Straumann alliance was established to help dental professionals meet this need by offering a series of compelling scientific events, continuing education courses, webinars and publications, including a joint symposium at the 2022 American Academy of Periodontology annual meeting in October. Prof. Filippo Graziani, Past President of the EFP and one of the speakers involved in the Oral-B & Straumann’s Europerio symposium, believes that the impact of the alliance will be felt throughout the profession.

“With the changes in society and patients’ behaviours, it is fundamental to provide a large array of solutions for general health. Thus, this alliance should be cherished in order to simplify the lives of our patients and provide additional benefits for their health,” he concluded.