World Oral Health Day 2023 - "Be Proud of Your Mouth for a Lifetime of Smiles"

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Highlights:

• People around the world will join us on March 20 to observe World Oral Health Day
• This awareness campaign equips people with the knowledge to secure good oral health
• 2023 theme pays attention to cherishing and taking care of oral health at all stages of life

Every year on March 20, World Oral Health Day encourages people around the world to make a promise to look after their oral health with proper oral hygiene practice. This global observance helps to reduce the burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems, and economies everywhere (1^✔).

World Oral Health Day History

The FDI (World Dental Federation) launched World Oral Health Day in 2007. The day was originally celebrated on September 12 in remembrance of FDI founder, Dr. Charles Godon. Later, it was changed to March 20, 2013 to avoid conflict with the FDI World Dental Congress in September.

‘World Oral Health Day 2023 empowers people to take charge of their oral health, with the stress not on having a perfect mouth but a healthy one.’

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.

Why is Oral Health Important?

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 mouthwash (2^✔).

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 of the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and then suffer from diseases.

Say Cheese

- A newborn might look cute without a tooth, but not adults. Not caring for your teeth and mouth will not only make you look odd when tooth decay or loss sets in but also make eating, talking, and smiling difficult.

Oral Health Facts

• Oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people globally, of which 90% of the ailments are related to tooth decay (2^✔,3^✔).
• 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 in their milk teeth)
• Gum disease affects up to 50% of the global population and the most common reason for tooth loss
• Oral cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers, with an estimated 300,000-700,000 new cases every year
• Cleft lip and palate are the most common birth defect and 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

How to Keep Mouth Healthy?

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

Be Proud of Your Mouth Campaign

The 2023 World Oral Health Day campaign takes place under the theme �Be Proud of Your Mouth' - calling on people to look after their oral health for a lifetime of smiles. It is an empowering call to action urging people to value and take care of their oral health.

This 2023 campaign theme inspires us to make lasting and positive changes by educating people on the vital role a healthy mouth plays in their lives at every stage of life. This is why we are calling on people to Be Proud of Your Mouth for a Lifetime of Smiles (4^✔).

The lifetime approach is reflected in the campaign visuals that bring together families, friends, patients, and communities of all ages to celebrate their mouths in a photo booth moment and to capture a lifetime of smiles.

World Oral Health Day Activities

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 (4^✔).

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

• Organize a toothbrush drive in your community
• Schedule your routine dental exam at 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, #WOHD23, #MouthProudChallenge or #GoMouthProud. In this campaign event, post a video or photo of yourself using Instagram and Facebook filters to show that your mouth is important to you. Tag your friends to get them involved too

No matter what age you are, caring for your mouth and looking after your oral health are very important. Great teeth, a great smile, a great life - altogether an asset.

References:

1. About World Oral Health Day - (https:www.worldoralhealthday.org/about)
2. Basics of Oral Health - (https:www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/index.html)
3. Oral Health Facts - (https:www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health)
4. Launching Be Proud of Your Mouth for a lifetime of smiles - (https:www.fdiworlddental.org/launching-be-proud-your-mouth-lifetime-smiles)

Source: Medindia

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