Why It Matters
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 untreated with a considerable knock-on effect.
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, everything 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.