Oral health inequalities Oral diseases disproportionately affect the poor and socially disadvantaged members of society. There is a very strong and consistent association between socioeconomic status (income, occupation and educational level) and the prevalence and severity of oral diseases. A fact sheet on oral contraceptives which provides detail on their effectiveness, health benefits and risks and side effects as well as WHO's work in this area.

Understanding the Context

The World Health Organization has released a new global guideline, Environmentally friendly and less invasive oral health care for preventing and managing dental caries. The guideline provides evidence-based recommendations to support countries in preventing and managing dental caries through environmentally sustainable and less invasive approaches that promote patient safety, quality of care ... Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life. It encompasses a range of diseases and conditions that include dental caries, Periodontal disease, Tooth loss, Oral cancer, Oral manifestations of HIV infection, Oro-dental trauma, Noma and birth defects such as cleft lip and palate.

Key Insights

Member States have demonstrated their commitment to improving oral health in recent years by adopting the landmark Resolution on oral health in 2021 and the Global strategy on oral health in 2022. This was followed in 2023 by the development of the Global oral health action plan 2023โ€“2030, which translates the vision, goal, and strategic objectives of the global strategy into a series of 100 ... The novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) is currently in the wider use roll-out phase under WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for the control of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) outbreaks, in line with the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immu nization (SAGE) guidance. More than 3.5 billion people suffer from oral diseases. Untreated dental caries (tooth decay) in permanent teeth is the most common.

Final Thoughts

Severe periodontal (gum) disease affects almost 10% of the global population and more than 530 million children suffer from dental caries of primary teeth. Oral diseases disproportionally affect the poor and socially-disadvantaged populations. Most oral diseases ... World Health Assembly Resolution paves the way for better oral health care