Oral Diseases Affect Over 800 Million People: Study

In the Western Pacific region, more than 800 million or 42 percent of the population suffer from oral diseases including dental caries, gum disease, or tooth loss (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Oral diseases affect more than 800 million people in the Western Pacific

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Oral Health in Western Pacific

The Western Pacific has the world's highest burden of tooth loss among the WHO's six regions, with roughly 92 million people aged 20 years and older are missing all their teeth, including 25 percent of adults aged 60 and older, the report said. Despite Oral diseases being largely preventable, the report said few countries in the Western Pacific invest adequately in efforts to address the issue.

Additionally, a dentist-centered workforce model dominates in most countries in the region, with inadequate task sharing and skill mixes within the wider oral health team.

With the growing population of older adults in the region, there could be a further increase in the burden of oral diseases in the years to come, unless countries integrate essential oral health services into universal health coverage benefit packages, the report said.

Reference:

1. Oral diseases affect more than 800 million people in the Western Pacific - (https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/item/08-06-2023-oral-diseases-affect-more-than-800-million-people-in-the-western-pacific)

Source-IANS