2025 WORLD ORAL DAY: WHO RAISES CONCERNS OVER DENTAL REPORTS ..... Says Over 42% Of Africans By Oral Diseases

"The commemoration is a vital opportunity to raise awareness and prioritize oral health; an essential component of overall well-being that is often overlooked." Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa.

A staggering 42% of the African population is reportedly affected by oral diseases, including dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss.

This alarming statistics according to the World Health Organization WHO highlights the devastating impact of oral diseases on the continent.

In his message to mark 2025 World Oral Day, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu stated that the commemoration is a vital opportunity to raise awareness and prioritize oral health; an essential component of overall well-being that is often overlooked.

He revealed that the WHO African Region also has the highest number of noma cases, a rapidly progressing, non-contagious gangrenous disease of the mouth that primarily affects young children.

“If left untreated, noma has a high fatality rate, and survivors often suffer from life-long impairments, disfigurement, stigma, and discrimination.

“To address these challenges, the WHO has endorsed the Regional Oral Health Strategy 2016-2025, which integrates oral disease into non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control programs.

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The organization has also launched a Global Oral Health Action Plan 2023-2030, which includes a monitoring framework.”

"To accelerate the implementation of the Global Oral Health Action Plan, Ihekweazu disclosed that the WHO has convened its first-ever Global Oral Health Meeting, which brought together representatives from 29 Member States in the Region.

"Despite these efforts, the African Region still lags behind key oral health indicators. Only 17% of the regional population has access to essential oral health care services, and progress in disease prevention is slow.”

“The oral health workforce also remains inadequate, with only 0.37 oral health workers per 10,000 population, far below the required 1.33 per 10,000 population.”

The meeting resulted in national roadmaps to enhance oral health, and a Regional Framework for accelerating implementation will be discussed later this year.

“Now is the time to act. We have the strategy – now we must implement it. This requires engaging multisectoral stakeholders, securing funding, integrating oral health services into national benefits packages, and using a people-centered approach to implementation.”  Ihekweazu concluded.