Transparency and conflicts of interest disclosure at an international periodontology conference

The objectives of this study were threefold: (1) to evaluate whether presenter information related to potential conflicts of interest (COIs) is adequately disclosed on the official EuroPerio and European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) websites; (2) to assess how speakers report COI-related information during their presentations; and (3) to examine the criteria used for selecting conference presenters. The programme and video presentations from EuroPerio 11 (May 2025) were systematically analysed. Among 163 invited presenters, only six (4%) disclosed potential COIs on the conference website, and these disclosures lacked detail. Of 160 analysed presentations, 30.1% declared no COI, 19.6% declared potential COIs, and 48.5% made no disclosure; the median disclosure duration was seven seconds. Observations revealed that COI statements were typically brief, suggesting that disclosure was often treated as a formality rather than a substantive ethical practice. No explicit or publicly accessible criteria for presenter selection were identified on either the conference or federation websites. These findings indicate substantial underreporting of both financial and non-financial COIs, limited enforcement of disclosure practices, and a lack of transparency in presenter selection. Clear, standardised, and verifiable procedures for COI reporting and presenter selection are needed to strengthen scientific integrity and maintain audience trust.