WHO paints grim picture of oral health worldwide
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- Published: Friday, 22 June 2012 14:29
- Written by News Editor
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a fact sheet, which will come as little surprise to UK GDPs. It shows that oral disease in children and adults is higher among poor and disadvantaged population groups. Risk factors for oral diseases include an unhealthy diet, tobacco use, harmful alcohol use and poor oral hygiene, and social determinants. |
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Oral health
WHO Fact sheet N°318 April 2012
Click here to access fact sheet
Key facts
- Worldwide, 60–90% of school children and nearly 100% of adults have dental cavities.
- Dental cavities can be prevented by maintaining a constant low level of fluoride in the oral cavity.
- Severe periodontal (gum) disease, which may result in tooth loss, is found in 15–20% of middle-aged (35-44 years) adults.
- Globally, about 30% of people aged 65–74 have no natural teeth.
- Oral disease in children and adults is higher among poor and disadvantaged population groups.
- Risk factors for oral diseases include an unhealthy diet, tobacco use, harmful alcohol use and poor oral hygiene, and social determinants.
Other facts:
Severe periodontal disease, which may result in tooth loss, is found in 15–20% of middle-aged (35-44 years) adults.
Complete loss of natural teeth is widespread and particularly affects older people. Globally, about 30% of people aged 65–74 have no natural teeth.
The incidence of oral cancer ranges from one to 10 cases per 100 000 people in most countries. The prevalence of oral cancer is relatively higher in men, in older people, and among people of low education and low income. Tobacco and alcohol are major causal factors.
Almost half (40–50%) of people who are HIV-positive have oral fungal, bacterial or viral infections. These often occur early in the course of HIV infection.
Across the world, 16-40% of children in the age range 6 to12 years old are affected by dental trauma due to unsafe playgrounds, unsafe schools, road accidents, or violence. Noma is a gangrenous lesion that affects young children living in extreme poverty primarily in Africa and Asia. Lesions are severe gingival disease followed by necrosis (premature death of cells in living tissue) of lips and chin. Many children affected by noma suffer from other infections such as measles and HIV. Without any treatment, about 90% of these children die.
Birth defects such as cleft lip and palate occur in about one per 500–700 of all births. This rate varies substantially across different ethnic groups and geographical areas.
WHO response
Public health solutions for oral diseases are most effective when they are integrated with those for other chronic diseases and with national public health programmes. The WHO Global Oral Health Programme aligns its work with the strategy of chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Emphasis is put on developing global policies in oral health promotion and oral disease prevention, including:
- building oral health policies towards effective control of risks to oral health;
- stimulating development and implementation of community-based projects for oral health promotion and prevention of oral diseases, with a focus on disadvantaged and poor population groups;
- encouraging national health authorities to implement effective fluoride programmes for the prevention of dental caries;
- advocacy for a common risk factor approach to simultaneously prevent oral and other chronic diseases; and
- providing technical support to countries to strengthen their oral health systems and integrate oral health into public health.
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