Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe
The mission of the Platform is to improve oral health and enhance cost-effective prevention of oral diseases in Europe.
ID: 685410422002-19
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Radan Kanev (Member of the European Parliament)
16 Sept 2025 · Critical Medicnes Act
Response to EU cardiovascular health plan
4 Sept 2025
Integrating Oral Health into the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the EU, responsible for 1.7 million deaths annually and costing over 280 billion. As the EU develops its strategic response, it is essential to recognise oral health as a key component of systemic health and CVD prevention. Oral diseases are the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally, affecting 3.7 billion people and costing Europe 90 billion annually. Periodontitis, a chronic gum disease, is independently associated with major NCDs including CVDs, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnoea, and chronic kidney disease. The systemic inflammation triggered by periodontal bacteria contributes to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis key drivers of cardiovascular pathology. 1. Prevention Oral health promotion should be central to the prevention pillar of the EU CVD Plan. Good oral hygiene reduces systemic inflammation and microbial burden, lowering cardiovascular risk. Oral health professionals can reinforce healthy behaviours such as tobacco cessation and improved nutrition that align with broader NCD prevention goals. Including oral health in EU-wide campaigns would amplify the impact of initiatives like Europes Beating Cancer Plan. Scientific consensus confirms the causal relationship between periodontitis and increased carotid intima-media thickness, impaired endothelial function, and major adverse cardiovascular events. Periodontal therapy has been shown to improve surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk and glycaemic control in diabetes patients, underscoring the therapeutic potential of integrated care. 2. Early Detection and Screening Oral healthcare professionals (OHPs) are well-positioned to support early detection. Routine dental visits can reveal signs of systemic disease, including diabetes and cardiovascular risk. Periodontal inflammation and mucosal changes may signal underlying dysfunction. OHPs can refer patients for cardiovascular screening, enhancing early intervention and reducing long-term disease burden. Emerging evidence supports the use of oral biomarkers and clinical signs such as bleeding on probing and pocket depth as indicators of systemic inflammation and vascular risk. Including oral health in digital screening tools and health check protocols would strengthen personalised prevention strategies. 3. Management, Care, and Rehabilitation Integrating oral health into care and rehabilitation improves outcomes and reduces healthcare costs. Periodontal therapy improves glycaemic control in diabetes and reduces systemic inflammation, benefiting cardiovascular and kidney health. The bidirectional relationship between periodontitis and diabetes is well-established, and oral bacteria can exacerbate respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In patients with chronic kidney disease, periodontitis is linked to reduced survival via inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms. In rehabilitation, oral health supports nutrition, infection prevention, and quality of life especially for older adults and those recovering from cardiovascular events. Collaborative care models that include oral healthcare professionals can enhance patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Conclusion Oral health must be recognised as a central pillar of systemic health within the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan and the broader NCD agenda. Integrating oral healthcare into prevention, screening, and management strategies will improve outcomes, enhance equity, and strengthen the sustainability of European health systems.
Read full responseMeeting with András Tivadar Kulja (Member of the European Parliament)
1 Jul 2025 · Oral health, NCDs
Meeting with András Tivadar Kulja (Member of the European Parliament)
1 Oct 2024 · Oral health
Meeting with Catherine Amalric (Member of the European Parliament) and European Brain Council and
18 Mar 2024 · Renew Europe Workshop on Healthcare in Europe and the patient-centric approach
Meeting with Pernille Weiss-Ehler (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and AbbVie
7 Dec 2023 · Directive on Medicinal products for human use
Response to Evaluation and revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation
8 Nov 2023
As the umbrella organisation bringing together oral health organisations active in Europe, the Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe welcomes the European Commissions ambition to review the EUs pharmaceutical framework and address areas of unmet medical need, particularly in the area of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Given they are responsible for prescribing 10% of all antibiotics in humans, oral healthcare professionals have a key role to play in reducing AMR. Oral healthcare professionals also have an important role in promoting good oral health hygiene habits, which are made possible with products readily available over the counter such as fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes. Maintaining good oral health is essential given it is a determinant factor for quality of life, essential well-being, and an integral part of health. The cost of poor oral health is significant oral diseases are the 4th most expensive disease area to treat and account for 5-10% of public healthcare spending. Ensuring timely access to self-care products which promote oral health is therefore essential. The Platform is concerned that this access could be significantly disrupted as a result of the Commissions proposal to include new prescription criteria for antimicrobial products. Article 51 in the proposed Directive would subject all antimicrobials to a medical prescription. The legislation introduces a very broad definition of antimicrobials, going beyond antibiotics and bringing into scope a broad category of common non-prescription antimicrobials (e.g., in mouthwashes and toothpastes), antivirals (e.g., for oral herpes) and antifungals (e.g., for oral thrush). Many oral health self-care products would also fall under this definition, as fluoride toothpastes, mouthwashes, and denture cleaning products generally contain antimicrobial ingredients. For instance, fluoride toothpastes often contain antimicrobial agents to control dental plaque and help prevent gum disease such as chlorhexidine, CPC, stannous fluoride and zinc salts. Whilst there is indisputable evidence that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of AMR, and so should be available only via a prescription certified by a diagnostic test, it is crucial to recognise that they differ from products with non-antibiotic active ingredients. Concretely, if these provisions were to be adopted, people would need to obtain a prescription from a healthcare practitioner to buy toothpaste or a mouthwash containing an antimicrobial agent. Care homes for the elderly population would need to obtain prescriptions to address fungal infections common in denture wearers. This would inevitably lead to a surge in dental and medical appointments to obtain these prescriptions and would have serious consequences from a public health, access, healthcare system and environmental perspective. In fact, many easily addressed healthcare issues may be neglected as a result, leading to more serious health consequences where patients will be reliant on prescription medications, and even encourage the use of antibiotics. Long-established self-care regimes need to remain accessible over the counter, particularly in light of the EUs push for a preventive approach to public health. The Platform is therefore committed to work with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure that additional barriers to self-care are not introduced and that the new criteria in the legislation for a blanket prescription legal status only covers the main antibiotics or antimicrobials for which an AMR risk has been demonstrated.
Read full responseMeeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)
6 Sept 2023 · NCD INI report
Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)
26 Jun 2023 · NCD INI report
Meeting with István Ujhelyi (Member of the European Parliament)
21 Mar 2023 · Oral Health: NCDs and prevention
Response to Vaccine-Preventable Cancers
20 Jan 2023
The Platform for Better Oral Health in Europe (the Platform) is a joint initiative of the key European organisations involved in oral health, including the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE), the Council of European Chief Dental Officers (CECDO), the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH), the Oral Health Foundation and the Pan-European Region of the International Association for Dental Research (PER-IADR) as well as 20 Associate Members. Through our advocacy efforts at a European level, we aim to achieve improvements in oral health across Europe. Oral and oro-pharyngeal cancers are the 8th most common cancer in Europe, with a consistent increase in numbers of cases over the last two decades. More than 100 000 people a year are diagnosed with oral cancers in Europe and it is the 11th leading cause of mortality from cancer. Although oral cancer can be detected on visual inspection, the vast majority of patients present to hospital with advanced stages of the disease, which is burdened by high mortality. The average mortality of oral cancer has not improved over the last 30 years with less than 50% of patients being alive 5 year from diagnosis. In addition, oral cancers impose a significant burden on EU economies, due to costly treatments and difficulties faced by cancer survivors to return to work (Platform position). Over the last 20 years, the number of cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been increasing, with oro-pharyngeal cancers now the most common HPV-related cancer in the US. As they routinely see healthy patients as part of their function, oral health teams have a key role to play to encourage the uptake of HPV vaccination by adolescents as well as being best placed to diagnose suspect lesions as part of routine dental examinations. Consequently, we call on the Commission to encourage and support gender neutral HPV vaccination throughout the EU to prevent HPV-related cancers and consider leveraging the oral healthcare workforce to advise targeted age groups on HPV vaccination and oral cancer. In addition, this workforce is well placed to advise on lifestyle risk factors common to health and oral health including alcohol, tobacco, and sugar. The Platform for Better Oral Health looks forward to supporting European policymakers at the EU and national level to implement the actions within the forthcoming Commission recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers.
Read full responseMeeting with Tomislav Sokol (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)
10 Jan 2023 · European Health Data Space - EHDS
Meeting with Stelios Kympouropoulos (Member of the European Parliament)
19 Dec 2022 · Oral health