WHO Report Reveals 2.5 Billion People Have Untreated Caries
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- Published: Thursday, 15 December 2022 07:33
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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On 18th November 2022 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published its first Global Oral Health Status Report for twenty years. The key takeaways make for disturbing reading.
- 2.5 billion people have untreated dental caries
- 1 billion people are thought to have ‘severe’ periodontitis
- Over 380,000 cases of oral cancer are being diagnosed annually
The report analyses statistics from 194 member countries and highlights a shocking variation in oral health between prosperous and poor countries and between poor and prosperous communities within member countries. Cost of access to dental services as well as more widespread use of sugar, chewed tobacco and alcohol consumption are cited as a key reasons for the prevalence of oral disease.
Irrespective of continental and national borders it seems that on a global basis it’s members of the disabled communities, the economically disadvantaged, the elderly and rural citizens who carry the greatest burden of dental disease.
According to the report, nearly half the world’s population – 3.5BN people - suffer from untreated oral diseases. Collectively, these oral diseases impact more people than cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, mental illness, diabetes and cancer combined.
So bad is the situation in the USA that the Washington Post reports that “over one in four U.S. adults – 26 percent – has untreated dental cavities” according to data from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. 46% of adults over thirty are displaying signs of gum disease.
The WHO is scathing of the impact of financial barriers to oral health services and calls for dental care to be given the same priority as all other aspects of medical care.
Noting that only a minority of the world’s population have access to free or affordable oral health care and that those with the most need invariably faced the most challenging access problems a WHO statement said “Oral health care should be part of universal health coverage either free of charge or at a price that people can afford”.
Press coverage invariably invites readers to comment and as usual, their thoughts range from the highly intuitive to the banal.
Washington Post readers seized on the opportunity to condemn American health insurance policies that either don’t cover dental treatment or have so many restrictions and exclusions as to render them nigh on useless.
‘Lisa’ from NYC summed up the sensible observers saying “Dental abscesses have killed people: they can be fatal if untreated. They’re medical emergencies, and are expensive to treat. Too many people don’t have the money to treat them, or for that matter, to go to the dentist for even routine, preventive, and other oral health needs.
Untreated oral infections travel; they can damage your heart and just about any other organ.
WHO is right. Now what?”
You can download the WHO report here https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240061484
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