Sunstar was the only oral health company present at the 6th IDF Congress
15 December 2017
- The IDF Congress is the largest diabetes event in the world.
- Over 800 professionals from all over the world learnt about the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontitis through a virtual reality video on the SUNSTAR stand.
- The company wanted to raise awareness in the international community about the positive impact good oral hygiene can have on people with diabetes.
SUNSTAR concluded its successful participation in the 6th International Diabetes Federation Congress, held this year in Abu Dhabi. SUNSTAR participated to stress its tireless commitment fighting diabetes and helping to generate awareness around the relationship between this disease and oral health. In fact, SUNSTAR was the only oral health company present at the 2017 IDF Congress, informing about the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontitis and providing valuable educational tool around this subject.
During the conference, more than 800 attendees from around the world visited the SUNSTAR booth and took a 360º trip in the company’s virtual reality video called “The Perio Link”, exclusively created for the 2017 IDF Congress. Among them, there were both professionals and people with Diabetes. Through virtual reality glasses, visitors experienced how bacteria in our mouths – the bacteria that can cause gum inflammation such as gingivitis and periodontitis – make their way into the bloodstream. Bacteria stimulate the reaction of the cells in our immune system, triggering a cascade of events that ultimately increase insulin resistance. This, in turn, impacts the glycaemic control, exacerbates the risk of developing complications of diabetes and can contribute to ending up in prediabetes stage.
The “Perio Link” video is an engaging and innovative tool created by SUNSTAR and was designed to support professionals in translating the highly complex biochemistry pattern around the Link between periodontal disease and diabetes, into a straightforward message for the patient. The SUNSTAR team firmly believes that empowering people with knowledge is the key to success against this terrible disease. The end of the film clearly states the oral care routine to be embraced:
Oral daily care and periodic reviews can help patients better control their glucose levels and prevent other complications, such as periodontitis or the teeth loss.
In addition to the booth presence and the exclusive presentation of the “Perio Link” VR experience, during IDF 2017, the SUNSTAR team participated in the 5K@IDF race, a symbolic gesture that highlighted the importance of doing sport to prevent complications in diabetes. In addition, the Congress this year included two sessions on oral health and its association with diabetes among the more than 200 talks in the congress programme; these sessions emphasised how small gestures in the daily routine of people with diabetes, such as going to the dentist periodically, can help control the disease.
The world against diabetes
Every two years, the IDF organises an international congress whose purpose is to join forces in the fight against a disease that already affects more than 422 million people worldwide, a figure that increases every year according to WHO. More than 200 international speakers, 230 associations from 170 different countries and 12,000 attendees gathered for this year’s conference held in Abu Dhabi. Scientists and researchers, endocrinologists, nurses, dieticians, educators, patient leaders and political authorities such as the Abu Dhabi Department of Health (HAAD) attended the Congress.
SUNSTAR’s participation in the 2017 IDF Congress is the culmination of a year replete with activities focused on raising awareness about the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontitis, which has also resulted in the launch of the first Spanish study into the effectiveness of dental consultations in the early detection of diabetes. SUNSTAR also participated, together with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the European Federation of Periodontoloy (EFP), in the Perio-diabetes Workshop to create an oral hygiene guide for people with diabetes.
To see ‘’the Perio Link’’ VR video please click here for the video. To enjoy it at its best, use virtual reality goggles.