Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What about Paediatric Dentistry in Italy?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
Paedodontics, now better defined as “Paediatric Dentistry”, is to Dentistry as Paediatrics is to Medicine and is the discipline that deals with oral health problems in growing patients, with an additional task: taking care of the education of children at oral health. Unfortunately, in the past, Paediatric Dentistry was neglected in our country and, for a long time, it was considered a secondary branch of dentistry. But the strength of this discipline is that of being the only one able to implement prevention in its most authentic form, making individuals aware of the importance of taking care of their oral cavity since early childhood. Early interception of pathologies is strategic: it means not only to avoid biological damage to the child, but also to educate a patient who will one day be more aware of the value of his oral health. This is the redemption of this discipline which, in order to be successfully practiced, requires not only a certain propensity towards children, but also adequate training. Nowadays, we can surely say that Paediatric Dentistry acquired its right role in the Italian dental landscape.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What is the role of the Scientific Societies in this context?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
The Scientific Societies, such as the Italian Society of Paediatric Dentistry (SIOI) and the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD), are important vectors of knowledge as they make it possible to create opportunities for scientific meetings both in large cities and in the most peripheral areas of the country, for the widespread dissemination of knowledge. In recent times, Paediatric Dentistry has changed significantly: its strategies and purposes have changed, with important repercussions on knowledge and quality of practice. National and international scientific Societies are basic vehicles of these messages thanks to the organisation of conferences and meetings.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What is EAPD?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) is an organisation of individuals whose primary concern is in the area(s) of practice, education and/or research specifically related to the specialty of Paediatric Dentistry. Its aim is to bring young people closer to this discipline and, furthermore, it is the platform on which, on the basis of the most recent scientific evidences, guidelines are promulgated. The Academy allows members to get in touch and meet people from all over Europe and beyond, with the opportunity to make new friends, share data and information and create new partnerships.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
How are the Academy’s activities organized?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
The Academy carries out many activities with different purposes: they include educational activities such as Congresses, seminars, webinars etc., but also promulgation of guidelines for undergraduate and postgraduate education in Paediatric Dentistry. The Academy also collaborates with other national and international organizations in order to promote oral health in growing patients and even during the last pandemic period, it continued its updating activity through the organization of on-line events for members, such as the Hamburg Congress in 2020, the Interim Seminar in Oslo last April and the Galileo Project currently underway.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What is the Galileo project?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
The Galileo Project includes a series of 6 webinars on different topics that will take place within one year. The webinars have no registration fee and will be available, on-demand, only for the members of the Academy, for 3-6 months after the seminar, depending on the consent agreement with the speaker.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What are the Interim Seminars?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
Interim seminars represent a very important moment of growth and, on these occasions, guidelines are promulgated on specific topics. Guidelines are very important as they represent the state of the art of a discipline and, by providing precise and strategic indications, are very important for professionals. The theme of the Interim Seminar held this year in Oslo, for example, was “Management of deep carious lesions in primary teeth”, a very interesting topic for clinicians, students and researches. The success of the event was remarkable: a high number of colleagues and members of different Italian universities attended it on-line, with a beautiful presentation of posters.
Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
National President of SIOI
What about EAPD future Events?
Patrizia De Fabianis
Italian Councillor of EAPD
In this regard, I would like to remind you that the next EAPD Congress (hopefully in presence and not only on-line anymore) will take place in Portugal, in Lisbon from 15 to 18 June 2022, an event that will certainly see a large participation of Italian colleagues.