“Say No to Bleeding Gums” is the slogan for Gum Health Day 2020, to be celebrated worldwide on May 12. Its goal is to raise public awareness about bleeding gums, which are usually a sign of a gum disease that will require treatment at the dental practice.
Gum diseases usually are painless, and the most frequent sign of suffering from them is bleeding gums, reports the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP).
“Gums are not supposed to bleed without reason. If your gums bleed when you brush your teeth or when you bite on food—an apple, for example—you should visit your dentist for a periodontal checkup as soon as possible,” said Andreas Stavropoulos, coordinator of Gum Health Day 2020.
“Gum Health Day 2020 aims to remind people that gum health is a key factor for general health and well-being throughout life and that gum disease is an important public health issue, as it is linked to very serious conditions,” said Stavropoulos.
Gingivitis, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis are chronic, inflammatory gum diseases that affect hundreds of millions of adults worldwide, the EFP said. Yet the public still poorly acknowledges them, the EFP added, even though they have been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious and chronic conditions.
More than 40 countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australasia are joining Gum Health Day 2020. The EFP and its affiliated societies have organized a variety of initiatives including instructional videos, publications, social media campaigns, an Instagram Live session, and other online activities.
The EFP also is encouraging dentists, researchers, and other health professionals to sign and disseminate the EFP Manifesto: Perio and General Health, an international call to action for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of gum disease.
“Gum Health Day 2020 is a major EFP initiative to get the public informed every year of the value of healthy gums for a healthy life,” said Xavier Struillou, president of the EFP.
“Even if we are living in exceptional, strange times worldwide with the COVID-19 pandemic, we should not forget the role of our gum health in global health. Taking care of our gums also applies in these days,” he said.
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