New report from FDI World Dental Federation tackles oral health inequalities and outlines strategies to improve oral healthcare over the next ten years

· Oral conditions such as tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancer are the most widespread noncommunicable diseases worldwide - impacting 3.5 billion people - and have severe and significant health, societal, and economic impacts.

· Oral health professionals must be actively included in all efforts to improve health for all, so that population-level prevention efforts are effective and those in need receive quality care.

- Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) -

Geneva, 18 January 2021-Coinciding with the 148th session of the World Health Organization Executive Board, where an oral health resolution is on the agenda for adoption by governments, FDI releases Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All, a timely report that offers a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary roadmap on how to impact health policies and tackle challenges to improve oral health and reduce oral health inequalities over the next decade.

Vision 2030 recommends strategies to address the oral disease burden that communities can adapt to their own needs and circumstances, enabling them to implement relevant solutions. The report also considers how broad societal shifts, such as ageing populations, will require the oral health workforce to adapt and remain equipped to deliver consistent care.

"Vision 2030 outlines the ways in which we can integrate our profession within global development agendas, including the UN Sustainable Development goals and the implementation of universal health coverage, that determine important health priorities," says Prof. David Williams, FDI Vision 2030 Working Group co-chair.

Prof. Michael Glick, FDI Vision 2030 Working Group co-chair, adds: "How can we, as members of the oral health community, anticipate transformational changes and trends in the global healthcare environment? How do we seize opportunities to become productive members of healthcare teams delivering person-centered care? These are some of the broad questions we strive to answer through Vision 2030."

Achieving optimal oral health for all requires strong advocates who are ready to tackle this major public health challenge. Through the steps laid out in Vision 2030, the oral health profession will be well-equipped to argue for the better integration of oral health within overall health, united behind a set of shared aims.

The authors of the Vision 2030 report, an expert team of professionals hailing from diverse sectors within the healthcare community, have emphasized the need to engage with the public, as well as a range of other stakeholders. Vision 2030 calls for patients themselves to be well-informed advocates for their own oral health and be able to take an active role in their treatment decisions. From the patient to the profession, Vision 2030 drives the message home that there is no health without oral health.

About FDI World Dental Federation

Founded in 1900, FDI World Dental Federation is an international, membership-based organization that serves as the main representative body for more than one million dentists worldwide, active in some 200 national dental associations and specialist groups in close to 130 countries. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, FDI's mission is to lead the world to optimal oral health.

Vision 2030 Working Group: Michael Glick (Co-Chair), David M. Williams (Co-Chair), Ihsane Ben Yahya, William W. M. Cheung, Enzo Bondioni, Pam Clark, Stefan Listl, Manu Raj Mathur, Peter Mossey, Hiroshi Ogawa, Gerhard K. Seeberger, Michael Sereny.

Media contact

Charanjit Jagait, FDI Communications & Advocacy Director

cjagait@fdiworlddental.org | Tel.: +41 797967613