Europe

As part of its commitment to strengthening collaboration between academia and the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future (ACFF), the Spanish Chapter launched a national initiative to establish closer links with all dental schools across Spain. The main objective was to increase awareness of both the Global ACFF and its Spanish Chapter within the academic community, while fostering closer communication and promoting the dissemination of initiatives, educational resources and best practices related to the prevention and management of dental caries.

By building stronger partnerships with universities, the Spanish Chapter aims to create greater synergy between academic institutions and the ACFF, recognising the essential role that dental schools play in educating the next generation of oral health professionals. Through this collaboration, we hope to contribute to a modern, evidence-based approach to cariology and to better prepare future dentists to address the current and emerging challenges posed by dental caries.

Between January and February 2026, the Spanish Chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future (ACFF) contacted all Spanish universities currently offering a Degree in Dentistry. Two documents were sent to the senior academic leaders of 31 dental schools, including Deans, Programme Directors and Heads of Department.

The first document was an introductory letter presenting both the Global Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future and its Spanish Chapter.

The second was an Institutional Statement of Support, outlining the purpose and scope of the collaboration, the commitments of both parties, and including a signature template to be completed and signed by the authorised representatives of the Faculty and the Spanish Chapter of the ACFF.

To date, 18 of the 31 faculties have responded. Of these, 17 have formally accepted the invitation and signed the Institutional Statement of Support through the highest academic authority responsible for Dentistry within their institution, while one faculty decided not to join the initiative.

Among the 17 participating faculties, nine are public universities and eight are private institutions, demonstrating a balanced level of engagement across both sectors.

The faculties that have formally joined the Spanish Chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future are listed below:

Since the beginning of 2026, members of the Spanish Chapter also held two online working meetings to design, coordinate and implement this initiative. These meetings provided an opportunity to agree on the strategy, review progress and coordinate the actions required to strengthen collaboration with Spanish dental schools.

Both documents used to engage these dental schools have now been translated into English and Teresa Almerich-Torres, Chairperson of the Spain Chapter, would be pleased to share them with other ACFF Chapters to strengthen their own collaborations.

Please contact ACFF Global in the first instance, if you’d like to view the documents (for ACFF Chapter use) or discuss the work of the Spain Chapter further.

On the 2nd – 3rd November 2022, the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future UK Chapter met for the first time since the October 2021 Chapter launch.

When the Chapter launched, its members agreed on three key themes to focus its efforts on. These were:

1. Implementing caries prevention and care in everyday dental practice
2. Implementing caries prevention and care in health and social care curricula
3. Promoting caries prevention and care for the vulnerable across the life course

At this November 2022 meeting, the members aimed to create a set of plans that would help them bring these three ideas to life. The Chapter also decided to explore how IT solutions could also be brought in to help make the Chapter’s plans more effective.

To achieve this, the Chapter Co-Chairs, Prof. Avijit Banerjee and Prof. Nigel Pitts divided the members into three workgroups, based on their interests and specialities, and each group was tasked with developing an appropriate, effective and pragmatic plan for their assigned theme. Over the next 24 hours, the three groups discussed their plans, presented their initial ideas back to the whole group and then updated those plans following the feedback.

The Chapter is composed of professionals from all across the UK and the spectrum of oral health. The approach taken by the Chairs allowed a truly collaborative experience with each theme receiving ideas and input from this wide array of perspectives. It is this joint teamwork approach that will be vital to achieving a cavity-free future in the UK. Some of the common areas identified by the three groups included a need for a well thought through communications plan that brings in both traditional publications and social media to help spread the correct messages, as well as creating the right incentives to encourage the most positive behaviours.

The Chairs would like to thank Russ Ladwa, Patrick Fee, Ben Atkins, Miranda Steeples, Chris Deery, Gail Douglas, Tim Newton, Fiona Sandom, Fiona Ellwood, Rakhee Patel, Maria Morgan, Gerry Mckenna, James Coughlan, Chris Vernazza and Stephen Hancocks for the time and energy they have given to the Chapter.

If you would like to learn more about the UK Chapter then please read the account of the Chapter’s launch meeting in the British Dental Journal here.

Dental caries is the most prevalent non-communicable disease (NCD) in the world and is one of the biggest challenges for public health worldwide. Free sugars are the main risk factor for tooth decay and many other NCDs. Excessive and frequent consumption of free sugars increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and numerous types of cancer. Health professionals such as doctors, paediatricians, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, and of course, dentists and oral hygienists, must be updated and prepared to give dietary advice to their patients on the consumption of free sugars.

After a year of intense interdisciplinary work, the ACFF Spain Chapter is proud to announce its latest endorsed project: the ‘Stop Sugar-Stop Caries’ programme. The project was born in the Primary Care Dentistry clinics, specifically in the Seminario Health Centre in Zaragoza, Spain where a group of professionals made up of hygienists, dentists, pharmacists, and doctors, came up with the idea of creating a programme explaining the free sugars hidden in some foods and drinks with the purpose to raise awareness among their patients.

The initial project was a great success and subsequently more professionals, including nutritionists, have since joined the programme to expand it. Members of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology and Oral Public Health (SESPO) and National Health System workers have collaborated in the ‘Stop Sugar-Stop Caries’ programme, and it has been endorsed by the Spanish Chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future. The project has also received funding from Colgate Spain.

The main objectives of the ‘Stop Sugar-Stop Caries’ project are:

• Make the population aware of the relationship between sugar consumption and dental caries
• Publicise the presence of “hidden sugars” in food and beverages 
• And raise awareness among health professionals of the importance of promoting a healthy diet to reduce dental caries and other NCDs among the population

The final project includes health education materials for patients and families. This includes explanatory posters, videos, a guide about diet micronutrients and their influence on oral health, as well as complementary information through QR codes that can be scanned with any mobile phone or tablet.