Periodontal health has a wider reach than most people understand. Having healthy gums is vital, not only for dental and oral well-being but for general health. There are well-supported links increasingly being made between oral health and systemic illness with research showing that high levels of bacteria in the mouth can have a profound effect on all manner of conditions including cardio health, diabetes, pregnancy outcomes and Alzheimers for example. In most countries, 1 in 10 people suffer with severe periodontitis.

The BSP's Ian Needleman created a film called 'The Sound of Periodontitis' as part of vital patient engagement activities at EuroPerio8 meetings in London. It was so-called as gum disease is so often a silent disease - "something people are less comfortable talking about than cancer"

Root Canal Awareness Week, is a national effort to raise awareness of endodontists, so that patients and general dentists know to contact a specialist when a root canal is needed. It is an excellent time to explain the important role endodontists play in dental health, and to teach the public that root canals should not be feared.