WELCOME ADRESS

INGER WÅRDH, PRESIDENT

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to the congress of the European College of Gerodontology (ECG) to be held on September 14-15th 2023, organised by the Discipline of Gerodontology, Department of Dental Medicine Karolinska Institutet, Department of Health Sciences Karlstad University and the Swedish Association of Orofacial Medicine, Sweden.

The theme for this year is “The role of oral health in successful aging.” We have engaged distinguished professionals and researchers from different health and older care disciplines. The challenge to age with good quality of life is an urgent matter not only for dental professionals. We have to incorporate oral health actions in the health and older care systems in a way that engage even non dental experts. The older patients tend to lose their dental contacts when they experience increasing health related problems. There is need for methods to reqognize patients at risk for compromised oral health and to increase the understanding for which role oral health plays in the total life situation.

There is need for methods to reqognize patients at risk for compromised oral health and to increase the understanding for which role oral health plays in the total life situation.

We have now learnt to handle the Covid-19 pandemic and can offer a physical meeting but there will also be a possibility to take part of the congress by a digital link. The venue Ersta is an old building in the central part of Stockholm – perhaps one of the most beautiful places in the city - with an exciting history. Here have since the start 1851 sick, homeless and poor people got help and the deaconry organisation was first to offer nurse education in Stockholm.

On behalf of the ECG Council and the local Organising Committee I look forward to welcome you!