On 24-25 May 2024, the Council of European Dentists (CED) Member, Affiliate Member and Observer associations met in Athens, Greece for their biannual General Meeting under the chairmanship of CED President Dr. Freddie Sloth-Lisbjerg. The meeting was kindly hosted by the Hellenic Dental Association – whose President Dr. Athanasios Devliotis welcomed the delegates. The General Meeting delegates also had the honour of being addressed by the Minister of Health for Greece, Adonis Georgiadis.

A foreword address regarding the key concern of strengthening quality and safety in European oral health was given by Dr. João Breda, the Head of Athens Office for WHO Greece and Quality of Care Special Adviser for the Regional Director Division of Country Health Policies and Systems. Dr. Breda’s insights provided upmost interest for the dental profession for current and future priorities and challenges.

2024 Manifesto for the new EU mandate 2024-2029: the dental profession’s key priorities and recommendations for policymakers

During its General Meeting, the CED presented the 2024 CED Manifesto for the new EU Mandate 2024-2029. This document will contribute to support and drive CED’s work and outreach to EU policymakers and other key stakeholders at national and European level for the upcoming 5 years.

CED’s three main priorities for the upcoming mandate are prioritising patient safety and oral health across Europe by focusing on prevention, antimicrobial resistance, and safe medical devices; ensuring that EU policy works for a balanced European dentist workforce; and working towards a digital health future that does not impede the dental profession and delivery of care across all Member States.

Access the short and long versions of the Manifesto here.

CED adopts a Statement highlighting that sustainable dentistry is possible.

During the General Meeting, the CED adopted a Statement on Waste Management and Sustainability in Dentistry. Through its Statement, the CED highlights the need to work together to improve oral and consequently overall health to reduce the amount of curative treatments and lower the pollution caused by medicine residues and travel movements.

The Statement also highlights that manufacturers play a vital role in promoting sustainable waste management in dentistry, by developing eco-friendly and recyclable dental products, reducing the environmental impact of their materials.

The Statement also underlines that policies regulating waste management strategies for healthcare practices should guarantee that such strategies remain proportionate and realistic, and do not introduce any significant financial and administrative burdens on dental practices. The CED insists on the need to avoid excessive bureaucratic burden for dental practices that qualify as small and micro enterprises at all costs.

Access the CED Statement on Waste Management and Sustainability in Dentistry here.

The Council of European Dentists (CED) is a European not-for-profit association representing over 340,000 dental practitioners across Europe through 33 national dental associations and chambers in 31 European countries. Established in 1961 to advise the European Commission on matters relating to the dental profession, the CED aims to promote high standards on oral healthcare and dentistry with effective patient-safety centred professional practice, and to contribute to safeguarding the protection of public health. The CED is registered in the Transparency Register with the ID number 4885579968-84.

For more information contact:

CED Brussels Office

Tel: + 32 2 736 34 29

ced@cedentists.eu

http://www.cedentists.eu