WHO calls to end the global crisis of oral health

Global oral health has been in a silent crisis for too long. The challenges related to oral diseases for populations, communities, and individuals rarely get sufficient public attention, the active voices of people affected by oral diseases are not prioritised, and oral health has been absent from global health policy agendas for more than 15 years. Common oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal (gum) disease, oral cancer, and tooth loss, have reached an all-time high globally: almost half of the world's population (45%) is affected by these diseases, with about 3·5 billion people living with untreated oral diseases, surpassing numbers for any other non-communicable disease. 1 WHOGlobal oral health status report—towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. World Health Organization, Geneva2022https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases//global-status-report-on-oral-health-2022Date accessed: November 18, 2022 Google Scholar Cases of oral diseases have grown by 1 billion during the past 30 years. 1 WHOGlobal oral health status report—towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. World Health Organization, Geneva2022https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases//global-status-report-on-oral-health-2022Date accessed: November 18, 2022 Google Scholar Poor, vulnerable, and marginalised populations are disproportionally affected; and three out of four people affected by oral diseases now live in low-income and middle-income countries. 1 WHOGlobal oral health status report—towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. World Health Organization, Geneva2022https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases//global-status-report-on-oral-health-2022Date accessed: November 18, 2022 Google Scholar