It is possible to prevent many oral diseases (Adriana Addy / Getty)
announced World Health Organizationin a report released Thursday, that nearly half of the world’s population suffers from Oral diseasesThis includes rotten teeth, swollen gums, and mouth cancer.
The new report highlights the stark disparities 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),” stressing that “many oral diseases can be prevented and treated with cost-effective measures.”
The United Nations health agency concluded that 45 percent of the world’s population, or regarding 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 one billion in the past three decades. And the World Health Organization confirmed that this is “a clear indication that many people do not have access to 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 prevalent problem, affecting regarding 2.5 billion people worldwide. It is also estimated that severe periodontal disease, which is a major cause of total tooth loss, affects approximately one billion people. In addition, approximately 380,000 new cases of oral cancers are diagnosed each year.
The same UN report found that three-quarters of people suffering from oral diseases live in low- and middle-income countries. In all countries, he added, low-income people, people with disabilities, older people living alone or in care homes, and those living in remote and rural communities or minority groups bear a greater burden of oral disease.
And the World Health Organization indicated that these patterns are the same as those recorded in other noncommunicable diseases, such as various cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The risk factors are similar and include, in particular, excessive sugar intake, tobacco smoking and alcohol intake.
The organization’s report highlighted the barriers to providing adequate oral health services, including expensive dental visits. He explained that this might lead to “catastrophic costs and a huge financial burden on families and communities”. At the same time, reliance on specialized service providers and high-tech equipment makes these services unavailable to many.
Due to the lack of information and monitoring, many people spend a long time before seeking or receiving treatment. The World Health Organization has put forward a long list of proposals to tackle the problem, including calling on countries to include oral health services in their primary health care systems.
(AFP)
