World Oral Health Day 2022 — “Be Proud of Your Mouth”

Every year on March 20th, World Oral Health Day encourages people around the world to make a promise to look after their oral health with proper oral hygiene practice.

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How did it Start?

The FDI World Dental Federation launched World Oral Health Day in 2007. The day was originally celebrated on 12th September in remembrance of FDI founder, Dr. Charles Godon. Later, it was changed to 20th March in 2013 to avoid conflict with the FDI World Dental Congress in September. The date number 20 is considered special for oral health. Healthy older individuals should have 20 natural teeth at the end of their life, and healthy children should possess 20 baby teeth.

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Why does Oral Health Matter?

Mirror To Overall Health — A mouth with healthy gums, strong teeth, neutral breath, and a clean tongue is a sign of overall good physical and mental health. The mouth is also one of the first places to show symptoms of many illnesses, including diabetes.

Oral Hygiene is Vital — Neglecting oral hygiene can make your overall existence difficult. It will not only cause pain and oral diseases but also lower your self-esteem.

Maintaining good oral health is only possible through regular oral hygiene practices such as brushing twice, flossing, and using a mouthwash.

Be Aware — Oral health is a very neglected topic, people are not aware of dental problems until they start to appear. Most people tend to stay ignorant toward the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and then suffer from diseases.

Say Cheese — A newly born child might look cute without a tooth, but not adults. Not caring for teeth and mouth will not only make you look odd when tooth decay or loss set in but also make eating, talking, and smiling difficult.

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Oral Health Facts

• Oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people globally, of which 90% of the ailments belong to tooth decay.
• Untreated tooth decay is the most common health condition according to the Global Burden of Disease 2019.
• More than 530 million children suffer from tooth decay of milk teeth.
• Gum disease affects up to 50% of the global population, it is the common reason for tooth loss.
• Oral cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers, with an estimated 300,000 to 700,000 new cases every year.
• Cleft lip and palate are the most common birth defect that can affect as many as 1 in 500 births.
• Children from low-income families are two times more likely to have cavities than children from higher-income families.
• Tobacco use and diabetes are two main risk factors for gum disease.

Oral Health Tips

• Prefer a healthy, less sugar diet to avoid tooth decay.
• Avoid smoking and constrict the alcohol intake.
• Consistently maintain oral hygiene practices.
• Visit your dentist once a year.

How to Observe?

Dental organizations around the world hold free dental screening camps and oral health-related seminars.

Some dentists provide free or low-cost basic dental services. Other dentists hold toothbrush drives where they distribute new toothbrushes and other dental supplies to local charities.

The best thing you can do to participate is to pledge to look after your oral health. Here are some other ways to participate:

• Organize a toothbrush drive in your community.
• Schedule your routine dental exam in a nearby clinic.
• Learn about how oral health impacts your overall health.
• Thank your dentist for helping you maintain good oral health.
• Don’t forget to spread awareness for this day on social media with #WorldOralHealthDay, #WOHD22, #MouthProudChallenge or #GoMouthProud.

Great teeth, great smile, a great life — Oral health is wealth.

References:

1. About World Oral Health Day - (https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/about)
2. Key facts about oral health - (https://www.fdiworlddental.org/key-facts-about-oral-health#_ftn1)
3. Basics of Oral Health - (https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/index.html)

Source-Medindia