Dentaid: Leading the next generation in seeing periodontology as cool!

In this year’s series of partner interviews for the EFP newsletter, we are looking at how leadership in dentistry is going to play a vital and pivotal role in the years to come and how partners are ensuring that they are at the forefront of developing leadership that works. 

In this interview, we talk to Marta Larrea, Global Medical Lead at Dentaid. If leadership means lots of things to lots of people, there are certainly themes that Marta Larrea warms to, and one of those is training. Dentaid has been around for 45 years and its mission is to promote and improve people’s oral health throughout their lives, and always has been. 

“We place a strong focus on educating the next generation of dental professionals—playing an active role in their training through close collaboration with medical societies and universities, while also organising our own workshops, hands-on courses, and conferences.” She explains: “With years of experience in professional education and the development of clinical studies, Dentaid is proud to be a key contributor to shaping the future of dentistry through both knowledge generation and skill-building.”  She goes on to explain the importance of international medical societies as well as regional ones. 

“That’s why, for example, we will be hosting the EFP students symposium in 2026 in Barcelona, our home city, where there will be approximately 200 students with professors from all around the globe.” 

Dentaid has also recently collaborated with the EFP in organising Perio Workshop 2023 which discussed a new consensus on undergraduate, graduate and continuing education. Dentaid is also working with universities, giving lectures and workshops at all levels, so you can see how training and education is very much centre stage. 

Talking to other professionals is also key. “Our team interacts on a daily basis with other dentists and implantologists, oral surgeons and hygienists in order to understand their needs and develop possible solutions for them and their patients,” explains Marta.  She further enthuses: “We have a very strong international research centre basis in Spain called the Dentaid Research Center where we have our pioneer and famous artificial mouth and we have a powerful intergenerational research team formed by a group of 50 researchers.” 

It is evident that Dentaid is leading well in dentistry.  However, what about periodontics in particular?  Is it less “sexy” than other wings of the dental profession? 

“Periodontology is incredibly interesting and vital” - says Marta -. “While it may not always get the same spotlight as cosmetic dentistry, its impact is profound. Healthy gums and supporting structures are essential for the success of virtually every other dental procedure. Dentaid’s focus on comprehensive oral care naturally includes a strong emphasis on periodontal health, and it’s encouraging to see this area gaining more recognition”- she adds.

“In order to have success with surgery or implant placements, we need to maintain our patients’ systemic and oral health. When you are doing a diagnostic and a treatment plan for a patient, we can do nothing if we first don’t have good periodontal health and good oral hygiene.”  She adds: “to encourage young people into perio is key.” 

“To ensure that periodontology and implantology are not sidelined in dental education we need to integrate hands on workshops and case studies into the curriculum.” She goes further: “early clinical exposure webinars and short videos can also contribute to reach the young targets, as communication channels have changed a lot!” 

Put simply, without good perio care and professionals, implants are going to fail!  So, it is pretty evident then that you need good periodontists and that requires strong leadership to attract them! 

Going forward, Marta Larrea Buscato is optimistic about leadership and what good leaders need to do.

Leaders need to focus on training and education to attract young people into the profession. However, Marta believes that ethics will play a very big role in leadership, especially as AI gets ever more powerful. (There is a series of articles on AI in dentistry on the EFP website newsletter section.) 

One final thought: freshly back from EuroPerio11 in Vienna, how engaging was it for the young, and did it show leadership? 

With valuable networking opportunities, engaging after-work sessions, the latest updates on EFP guidelines, and the chance to connect with fellow dental and periodontal professionals, the answer could only be positive. It was also clear that cutting-edge ideas and technologies highlighted how periodontics remain at the forefront of innovation at EuroPerio.

“We've seen a significant rise in the use of AI tools, particularly for educating patients about oral health. Additionally, navigated surgery is becoming increasingly common for precise implant placement”.

There is no doubt that congresses such as these are ideal places for key opinion leaders, at the top of their profession, to show the next generation thought leadership and best practice.  

From Dentaid’s perspective, Marta Larrea expressed pride in her company's involvement. "We sponsored a session focused on clinical guidelines for periodontal disease, emphasising a patient-centred approach and the importance of tailoring supportive periodontal care to each individual's needs and preferences," she explained. "The session was led by Professor David Herrera from Spain and Professor Nicola Discepoli from Italy.'" She added proudly, "It was a great success – the room was fully engaged and packed!"

Leading from the front perhaps!