The World Health Organization (WHO) has challenged countries, and partners to unite and implement Regional and Global strategies on oral health to address oral diseases for universal health coverage (UHC).
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti made the call in a message to commemorate this year 2023 World Oral Health Day on 20th March 2023.
She said In 2019, around 43.7 % of the population are affected by oral diseases in the WHO African Region.
Stressing that the burden of these diseases constitutes 90% of fatal cases with high social, economic, and health systems consequences and reflects significant inequalities If left untreated.
“Based on the regional summary of the WHO Global Oral Health Status Report in 2022 among WHO’s six regions, our region has experienced the largest increase in the number of major oral disease cases in the previous 30 years. “However, there is fundamental under-investment in oral health.
“Half of our countries do not have oral health policies. More than 70% of our countries spent less than US$ 1 per person per year on treatment costs for oral health care in 2019. We have also faced a chronic lack of an oral health workforce. For example, dentists per 10,000 population in the region equates to one-tenth of the global ratio.
“Oral diseases can be prevented by addressing common risk factors, such as the use of tobacco and alcohol, and an unhealthy diet with other NCDs, such as diabetes and cancers. For example, noma, a disease, destroys the mouths and faces of mostly young children.
“Noma is primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a marker of extreme poverty.
“Oral health is the foundation of our life. It enables us to perform essential functions and impacts our self-confidence, well-being, and ability to socialize and work without pain, discomfort, and embarrassment from early life to old age.
“Yet oral diseases, such as dental caries, gum diseases, and tooth loss, are the most widespread globally and regionally when most oral diseases are preventable.
“At WHO, we have supported countries to develop and implement oral health strategies. In 2022, we helped Cabo Verde, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, and Senegal to launch and implement national oral health policies. We did the same with Algeria, Botswana, and Lesotho. To address the scarce oral health workforce in response to the population’s needs, we are developing an online training course, in partnership with Harvard University, for community health workers to facilitate task sharing of oral health interventions among oral and other health professionals.
“We have supported eleven countries to develop, implement and monitor an integrated national noma control program, funded by the German nongovernmental organization, Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. In July 2022, we successfully launched the online training course for noma towards primary care workers. Around 3,600 people registered for this course to learn about this severe disease, have their capacity built on prevention and control of noma, and hopefully use that knowledge and skill on early detection and treatment at the primary care level.”
Dr. Moeti further stressed that despite progress towards the treatment of Oral preventable diseases prioritizing the sector through collaboration and partnership is paramount to achieving the global vision of UHC for oral health for all by 2030.
“I urge Ministries of Health to:
• Prioritize oral health as part of NCDs and UHC agendas and increase political and financial commitment
• Make a paradigm shift from treatment-oriented oral health care into more prevention and promotion approaches to address oral health inequality
• Integrate oral health into the health systems, such as the integration of oral health care into the UHC benefit package, task sharing of oral health care with other health professionals, and collecting oral health information through the existing surveillance system
• Mobilize, involve, and empower communities to enable people to increase control over and improve their oral and general health
Furthermore, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector should advocate and support government efforts in implementing the population’s needs-based oral health strategies.”
World Oral Health Day 2023 is celebrated on the 20th of March, this year’s celebration calls on all to unite against oral diseases and take action to make the population enjoy better oral health, better health, and better quality of life, even as individuals and communities are encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles and maintain a balanced diet, low in free sugar and high in fruit and vegetables. Favor water as the main drink, while avoiding all forms of tobacco, and excessive harmful consumption of alcohol to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
