The new resolution on Oral health (WHA 74.5) tasks the World Health Organization (WHO) with the development of a global strategy on tackling oral diseases, an oral health action plan with 2030 targets, technical guidance, and NCD “best buys” on oral health management, together with the recommendation to consider noma as a neglected tropical disease.

Would you like to find out more about the possible implications of the resolution on your work and what national-level implementation may look like?

If so, register for our webinar, which is jointly organized with our member the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and the NCD Alliance on Tuesday, 14 September from 13:00 to 14:30 CEST.

Register now

The webinar is organized in full support of the Global Week for Action on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) (6-12 September), and ahead of the ADA FDI World Dental Congress (26-29 September).

Meet our distinguished speakers

Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of WHO’s NCD Department, will present the scope of the new resolution on Oral health and its follow-up actions, identifying windows of opportunity for the oral health response within WHO’s work on NCDs, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and other health programmes more broadly.

The event will be chaired by Prof. David Williams, and we will also explore how FDI’s Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All can support the implementation phase of the resolution together with Dr Manu Mathur, a commissioner in The Lancet Commission on Oral health, and also a key contributor to Vision 2030.

Dr Miriam Muriithi, also a commissioner in The Lancet Commission on Oral health, and Chief Dental Officer of Kenya, one of the countries to sponsor the resolution on Oral health, will speak on the need to integrate oral health within health systems and surveillance mechanisms, with actions based on the experience of Kenya.

Prof. Eric Reynolds is the new President of IADR and will review the scientific basis on which the resolution on Oral health is based. He will also explain the existing research gaps that need to be addressed to succeed with the implementation of the upcoming global strategy and action plan on oral health.

Before opening the questions and answers session, Nina Renshaw from the NCD Alliance, will explore the lessons that can be learnt from the experience of the NCD community in advocacy and accountability, to leverage this policy momentum on oral health.

Working together for resilient health systems

Good oral health is a key indicator for overall health, so engaging in this type of policy discussion in the context of the Global Week for Action on NCDs reminds us of the importance of working together with the whole NCD community to ensure resilient health systems. Moreover, by having this discussion in parallel with a scientific event such as the ADA FDI World Dental Congress, it helps ensure that our joint advocacy and policy efforts remain evidence-based and reflect the current challenges of the oral health community.

It is important to note this discussion will also take place in the context of a public consultationfor WHO’s draft of the 2022 global strategy on tackling oral disease. The web-based consultation will be open until Friday, 17 September, and we hope this event will also help provide more background to those who wish to submit a response.

Do you have any questions about this event? You can contact us at advocacy@fdiworlddental.org.