The inaugural meeting of the Special Interest Group (SIG) of Communication in Oral Healthcare, the European Association of Communication in Healthcare (EACH) was held at the University of Dundee, School of Dentistry on 21 June 2016.

The SIG provides an opportunity to network and collaborate with fellow researchers/teaching staff in the field of communication skills research and teaching, and has members from seven universities in five countries: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Norway and the UK.

The SIG meeting and symposium in June was introduced by Professor Ruth Freeman, and Dr Siyang Yuan of the Dental Health Services Research Unit at Dundee Dental Hospital and School, and Chair of the SIG, chaired the symposium.

Two guest speakers: Professor Gerry Humphris from the University of St Andrews, Co-Chair of the Research Committee, EACH and Dr Jorun Torper from the University of Oslo shared their different perspectives on research and teaching communication skills in the oral healthcare setting. Their work reflects increasing recognition globally and nationally of the importance of the role of communication skills in healthcare delivery to achieve positive impacts for oral health outcomes. Comments and discussions were raised between SIG members and interested dental academics during plenary.

For further information on the SIG of Communication in Oral Healthcare visit http://www.each.eu/research/r-activities/sigs/communication-oral-healthcare/.