Lancet series on Oral Health for UHC

A two-part Series argues that oral health has been isolated from traditional health care and health policy for too long, despite the major global public health burden of oral diseases. Richard Watt from University College London (London, UK) and colleagues from ten countries lay out why oral diseases have persisted globally over the past three decades, despite scientific advancements in the field, and why prevalence has increased in low-income and middle-income countries, and among socially disadvantaged and vulnerable people, no matter where they live. They show that oral diseases, including tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancers, affect almost half of the global population, with untreated dental decay the most common health condition worldwide. Lip and oral cavity cancers are among the top 15 most common cancers in the world. In addition to lower quality of life, oral diseases have a major economic impact on both individuals and the wider health-care system, and are the third most expensive condition in the European Union behind diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Despite this substantial burden, oral health has been woefully neglected. This Series calls for radical reform of dental care systems, whose treat-over-prevent model has failed to combat the global challenge of oral diseases. It also calls for greater prominence of oral health on the global health agendas campaigning for non-communicable diseases and universal health coverage…..more