Message from the President
We will promote the development of systems to “eliminate periodontal diseases”
In April 2021, I was appointed as the President of the Japanese Society of Periodontology (JSP), a specified nonprofit corporation, and will assume this post for two years. The original organization of JSP was established in 1957, it changed its name to the “Japanese Society of Periodontology” in 1968, and it became the current association in 2004. Therefore, it has been 64 years since the establishment of our society. The number of JSP members is more than 11,000, and the JSP is one of the major academic societies in Japan. In order to contribute to public health promotion through treating and preventing periodontal diseases, the JSP has worked to elucidate their causes, develop and disseminate new tests, diagnostics, and treatments, and nurture specialists, certified physicians, and dental hygienists. These activities are performed in cooperation with academic societies both within and outside Japan.
On the basis of recent studies, it has been emerging that periodontal diseases are associated with the development and worsening of many diseases and abnormalities, such as diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, vascular disorders, premature birth, delivering low birth-weight infants, rheumatoid arthritis, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In fact, a large-scale survey conducted by a company’s insurance society demonstrated that the total annual medical expenditure is higher for people with periodontal diseases than those without these diseases, and this disparity is particularly marked among people aged ≥60 years. Thus, preventing periodontal diseases plays a crucial role not only in maintaining oral health but also general health.
According to the most up-to-date dental disease survey (2011), the number of people with periodontal diseases (those with a periodontal pocket [space between a tooth and gum] with a size of ≥4 mm) has shown a tendency to decrease at every survey (conducted once per six years), but the incidence rate of periodontal diseases has shown a tendency to rise with age. In addition, the last three surveys have shown a rapid increase in the incidence rate of periodontal diseases among people aged ≥65 years. Against this background, it is important to increase cooperation with medical specialists, and promote the treatment of elderly people’s periodontal diseases.
On the 2017, which is the 60th year of the JSP, we have set the goal of “eliminating periodontal diseases”, and we are planning to develop systems to achieve this goal. Specifically, our academic activities will include: 1) understanding and preventing the periodontal diseases of young people, 2) improving the treatment of working generations’ periodontal diseases and ensuring medical/dental cooperation, and 3) promoting the treatment of elderly people’s periodontal diseases. We are planning to enhance our basic research capabilities, which make up the JSP’s greatest strength, and develop new world-leading diagnostics and treatments. In addition, specialists and dental hygienists certified by the JSP should be recognized and trusted not only by the public, but also by other healthcare providers, such as doctors and nurses. Furthermore, in order to increase medical and dental cooperation, we promote clinical research to develop and disseminate new indices that can clarify the influence of periodontal diseases on the body.
I would really appreciate it if relevant organizations and citizens understood our activities and cooperated with us.
