The World Health Organization (WHO) recently passed a historic resolution to include oral health as a global priority. On July 14, Penn Dental Medicine’s Center for Integrative Global Oral Health (CIGOH) and the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders (AOHAB) are collaborating to present a forum on the impact of this resolution.
During its 74th World Health Assembly last month, the decision-making body of the WHO approved the resolution on oral health urging Member States to address key risk factors of oral diseases including high sugar intake and tobacco and alcohol, and to move toward a shift from traditional curative approaches to preventive measures for improving worldwide oral health care—and reducing the risk of many serious diseases.
As well, there was clear agreement that oral health should be a firm part of the noncommunicable disease agenda and that oral health-care interventions should be included in universal health coverage programs.
The virtual event on July 14 will feature a keynote address by Dr. Benoit Varenne, WHO’s Chief Dental Officer, who will discuss the meaning of this global resolution for dental professionals. Facilitating and responding to the conversation will be Dr. Christopher Fox, chief executive officer of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR)/American Association for Dental Research (AADR), and Enzo Bondioni, executive director of the FDI World Dental Federation.
Dr. Deborah Weisfuse, AOHAB president, says its purpose is part of the alliance’s mission to “cultivate a cutting-edge multidisciplinary community of global leaders sharing ideas and innovation.”
“Through this newly expansive approach, as well as our other initiatives, we hope to catalyze a more significant impact on reducing the global burden of oral disease than has been made in the past,” she said.
Learn more about the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders and register for the event
Learn more about the WHO resolution
