Many oral diseases can be prevented (Adriana Addy/Getty)
announced World Health Organizationin a report released Thursday, almost half of the world’s population suffers from it Oral diseasesThis includes rotten teeth, swollen gums and mouth cancer.
The new report highlights the stark inequalities in access to oral health services, noting that this situation has severely affected the most vulnerable and disadvantaged population groups.
said the director-general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus“Oral health has long been neglected in global health (policies),” noting that “many oral diseases can be prevented and treated with cost-effective measures.”
The United Nations health agency concluded that 45% of the world’s population, or about 3.5 billion people, suffer from tooth decay, gum disease and other oral diseases.
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The report, which provides the first comprehensive picture of the situation in 194 countries, showed that global cases have increased by a billion over the past three decades. And the World Health Organization has confirmed that this is “a clear indication that many people do not have access to the prevention and treatment of oral diseases”.
Perhaps the most common diseases in this field are tooth decay, acute gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancer. Untreated tooth decay is the most common problem, affecting an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide. Severe periodontal disease, which is a leading cause of total tooth loss, is also estimated to affect around one billion people. In addition, approximately 380,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year.
The same United Nations report found that three-quarters of people suffering from oral disease live in low- and middle-income countries. In all countries, he added, people on low incomes, people with disabilities, older adults living alone or in nursing homes, and those living in remote, rural communities or minority groups bear a higher burden of oral disease.
And the World Health Organization has indicated that these patterns are the same as seen in other noncommunicable diseases, such as various types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Risk factors are similar and include, in particular, excessive sugar intake, tobacco smoking and alcohol intake.
The organization’s report highlighted barriers to providing adequate oral health services, including costly dental visits. He explained that this could result in “catastrophic costs and a huge financial burden on families and communities”. At the same time, the dependence on specialized service providers and high-tech equipment makes these services inaccessible to many.
Due to lack of information and monitoring, many people spend a long time seeking or receiving treatment. The World Health Organization has presented a long list of proposals to address the problem, including calling on countries to include oral health services in their primary health care systems.
(AFP)
