This event will mark the release of WHO's Global oral health status report (GOHSR), which provides the first-ever comprehensive picture of oral disease burden and highlights challenges and opportunities to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) for oral health.
The GOHSR is part of WHO’s series of data reports and an important milestone in the larger process of mobilizing political action and resources for oral health. In alignment with the landmark World Health Assembly resolution WHA74.5 on oral health (2021), and the Global strategy on oral health (2022), the GOHSR will serve as a reference for policy-makers and provide orientation for a wide range of stakeholders across different sectors; and guide the advocacy process towards better prioritization of oral health in global, regional and national contexts.
Oral diseases are the most widespread noncommunicable diseases affecting almost half of the world’s population (3.5 billion people worldwide), even though they are largely preventable. The estimated number of cases of oral diseases worldwide is about 1 billion more than cases of all five main NCDs (mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers) combined. An estimated 2.5 billion people suffer from untreated dental caries (tooth decay) alone. The occurrence of oral diseases is increasing globally, at a rate that outpaces population growth.
This report introduces the first-ever oral health profiles of countries based on the latest available data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and global WHO surveys. It emphasizes the global impact of oral disease on our health and well-being and highlights stark inequalities, with a higher disease burden for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged population groups within and across societies.
Meeting objectives
- Inform stakeholders on current oral health status globally and public health challenges towards UHC for oral health by 2030.
- Disseminate the first ever oral health country profiles that serve as a baseline for tracking progress towards improving oral health for all.
- Promote the key messages of the GOHSR and their wide dissemination.