PerioDash Starts in Your Neighborhood

When PerioDash began more than a decade ago, the goal was to bring people together in support of the AAP Foundation and the specialty of periodontics. That remains true as the program enters its twelfth year. Every PerioDash event starts with a local team, but its impact extends far beyond the event itself.

In 2025, 527 participants across 36 teams took part in PerioDash. The program looked a little different in each location. The examples below show a few of the ways different groups have adapted the program to fit their goals and communities.

The L.A. Team, representing UCLA, USC, and the West Los Angeles VA, has participated since the start of PerioDash, helping build a tradition that continues to attract residents, faculty, alumni, and supporters each year. As Drs. Flavia Pirih and Beatriz Bezerra shared, “It’s a morale booster every year. Running, walking, and celebrating together outside of the clinic strengthens our sense of community and pride in the specialty.”

At the University of Utah, dental students and faculty embraced PerioDash despite not yet having a periodontal residency program. With support from periodontal department leaders, the event generated interest in the specialty while building goodwill and visibility for the department within the dental school. As Dr. Okano noted, “Students talk about PerioDash throughout the school year. Immediately following this year’s event, many were already asking about next year and wanting to participate again.”

Private practices have found opportunities to make PerioDash their own as well. Dr. Walt Colón and his team have used the event to bring together referring dentists and their teams, predental students, former staff members, family, and community supporters. Dr. Colón noted that “assistants from other practices made PerioDash their annual event and encouraged their doctors to join the following year.”

The Foundation has expanded resources to support participants. The PerioDash Participant Resource webpage features participant spotlights, educational handouts, talking points, social media resources, and opportunities for customized local press outreach. These resources help teams continue conversations about periodontal and peri-implant health long after race day.

When PerioDash began more than a decade ago, the goal was to bring people together in support of the AAP Foundation and the specialty of periodontics. That remains true as the program enters its twelfth year. Every PerioDash event starts with a local team, but its impact extends far beyond the event itself.

In 2025, 527 participants across 36 teams took part in PerioDash. The program looked a little different in each location. The examples below show a few of the ways different groups have adapted the program to fit their goals and communities.

The L.A. Team, representing UCLA, USC, and the West Los Angeles VA, has participated since the start of PerioDash, helping build a tradition that continues to attract residents, faculty, alumni, and supporters each year. As Drs. Flavia Pirih and Beatriz Bezerra shared, “It’s a morale booster every year. Running, walking, and celebrating together outside of the clinic strengthens our sense of community and pride in the specialty.”

At the University of Utah, dental students and faculty embraced PerioDash despite not yet having a periodontal residency program. With support from periodontal department leaders, the event generated interest in the specialty while building goodwill and visibility for the department within the dental school. As Dr. Okano noted, “Students talk about PerioDash throughout the school year. Immediately following this year’s event, many were already asking about next year and wanting to participate again.”

Private practices have found opportunities to make PerioDash their own as well. Dr. Walt Colón and his team have used the event to bring together referring dentists and their teams, predental students, former staff members, family, and community supporters. Dr. Colón noted that “assistants from other practices made PerioDash their annual event and encouraged their doctors to join the following year.”

The Foundation has expanded resources to support participants. The PerioDash Participant Resource webpage features participant spotlights, educational handouts, talking points, social media resources, and opportunities for customized local press outreach. These resources help teams continue conversations about periodontal and peri-implant health long after race day.

As PerioDash becomes part of the AAP Foundation's Levi-Richman Integration Initiative, the program will continue to build community while helping raise awareness about the connection between oral health and overall health. Participants will have additional opportunities to highlight periodontal health as the oral-systemic link and educate patients and the public about periodontal and peri-implant diseases, the importance of treating them, and the dedicated specialists who can help.

Support from the Levi-Richman Integration Initiative will also provide participant gear, including custom team shirts and medals, allowing 100% of every PerioDash registration fee to directly support the AAP Foundation's mission and impact.

Whether teams participate to promote wellness, strengthen professional connections, engage their local communities, or raise awareness about oral-systemic health, every PerioDash event starts with a local team. We hope yours will be next.

Register for PerioDash 2026 and visit the PerioDash Participant Resource page to start planning your event.