If good causes were measured against each other in a ‘life and death’ way, Oral Health would never reach the top of the ladder. But anyone who’s suffered with toothache will know that pain in the mouth affects how you feel and how you eat.
In resource poor communities, 90% of dental decay remains untreated1 and the knock on effect of this is considerable. Many people suffer avoidable pain and develop other health related problems simply because they don’t know how to look after their mouths.
Dental treatment is expensive and in a world where nearly half the population live on less than $2 a day,2everything we can do to prevent problems before they develop is a valuable investment.
Oral Health education must become an integral part of all health education – as an essential, not as a luxury.
Sources
1. Paula Moynihan WHO/FAO Expert Consultation, Geneva, p5 Jan 2002
2. Ignacio Ramonet, 'The politics of hunger', Le Monde Diplomatique, November 1998