During the 2008 EADPH conference in Heidelberg, Special Interest Working Group Workshops were launched.

Prof. Andreas Schulte chairs the Special interest working groups; if you are interested in one of the Special interest working groups, please contact him through andreas_schulte (AT) med.uni-heidelberg.de.

The long-term aims of the Special Interest Working Groups are to:

1. Review and discuss the “current state of the art” in the topic or a part of the topic.
2. Bring together people with an interest in the topic concerned.
3. Identify work that needs to be done to improve the “current state of the art”.
4. Produce a position paper that sets out the “current state of the art” and future work that needs to be carried out to improve it.
5. Plan how to develop collaborations to improve some of the identified deficiencies.

The topics for the workshops and their leaders are as follows:

Prevention of Oral Cancer
Chair: Dr Stefano Petti
 
Gerodontology
Chairs: Professor Jacques Vanobbergen and Drs De Visschere

Periodontal Epidemiology
Chairs: Dr Roos Leroy and Professor Ken Eaton

Tooth Surface Loss/Erosion
Chair: Professor Carolina Ganss
 
Caries Epidemiology and Prevention
Chair: Professor Nigel Pitts
 
Health Services Research
Chair: Dr Rebecca Harris
 
During the workshops, an initial set of papers was discussed and others identified. A search stategy was agreed and a timetable set for the drafting of a position paper. At the 2009 EADPH meeting in Trømso the position papers will be discussed and finalised and further work planned.