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Guest Leader Priorities for research for oral health …

Community Dental health (2005) 22, 71 74 BASCD 2005 Guest LeaderPriorities for research for oral health in the 21st Century theapproach of the WHO Global Oral health ProgrammePoul Erik PetersenChief, Oral health Programme, World health Organization, Department for Chronic Disease and health Promotion, Geneva,SwitzerlandBased on a paper prepared for the Global Forum for health research Meeting, Forum 8, Mexico City, 16 20 November, 2004 The World health Organization (WHO) World Oral health Report 2003 emphasized that despite great improvements in the oralhealth status of populations across the world, problems persist.

72 impaired oral function are therefore expected to grow as a public health problem in many developing countries. Meanwhile, tooth loss in adult life may also be due to

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Transcription of Guest Leader Priorities for research for oral health …

1 Community Dental health (2005) 22, 71 74 BASCD 2005 Guest LeaderPriorities for research for oral health in the 21st Century theapproach of the WHO Global Oral health ProgrammePoul Erik PetersenChief, Oral health Programme, World health Organization, Department for Chronic Disease and health Promotion, Geneva,SwitzerlandBased on a paper prepared for the Global Forum for health research Meeting, Forum 8, Mexico City, 16 20 November, 2004 The World health Organization (WHO) World Oral health Report 2003 emphasized that despite great improvements in the oralhealth status of populations across the world, problems persist.

2 The major challenges of the future will be to translate existingknowledge and sound experiences of disease prevention and health promotion into action programmes, this is particularly the casewith developing countries that have not yet benefited from advances in oral health science to the fullest extent possible. The WHOOral health programme gives priority to research helping correct the so called 10/90 gap which relates to the fact that only 10%of funding for global health research is allocated to health problems that affect 90% of the world population.

3 As knowledge is amajor vehicle for improving the health of the poor in particular, the WHO Oral health Programme focuses on stimulating oral healthresearch in the developed and developing world to reduce risk factors and the burden of oral disease, and to improve oral healthsystems and the effectiveness of community oral health programmes. Building and strengthening research capacity in public healthare highly recommended by WHO for effective control of disease and the socioeconomic development of any given to: Dr.

4 Poul Erik Petersen, Avenue Appia 20, CH1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. E-mail: Global Forum for health research is an independentinternational foundation promoting more health researchto combat neglected diseases and conditions that aremajor sources of ill health in developing countries. Eachyear there is a major gathering to focus on global healthand on how to bridge the gap in research between devel-oped and developing countries. The World HealthOrganization (WHO) Oral health Programme gives prior-ity to research helping correct the so-called 10/90 gap,which relates to the fact that only 10% of funding forglobal health research is allocated to health problems thataffect 90% of the world s population (Global Forum forHealth research , 2004).

5 WHO recently published a global overview of oralhealth, a statement which described the WHO Oral HealthProgramme s approach to promotion of further improve-ment in oral health during the 21st Century (WHO, 2003;Petersen, 2003a). The report emphasised that despite greatimprovements in the oral health status of populationsacross the world, problems still persist. This is particu-larly so among underprivileged groups in both developedand developing communities. WHO recognizes oral healthas an integral part of general health .

6 Furthermore, oraldiseases and conditions, including oral cancer, oralmanifestations of HIV/AIDS, dental trauma, craniofacialanomalies, and noma (cancrum oris), all have broadimpacts on oral health and well-being. Oral health andgeneral health share common risk factors related to diet,the use of tobacco, and the excessive consumption ofalcohol and the solutions to control oral disease are tobe found through shared approaches with integratedchronic disease burden of oral diseaseDental caries and periodontal diseases have historicallybeen considered the most important global oral healthburdens.

7 At present, the distribution and severity of oraldiseases vary in different parts of the world and withinthe same country or region. The significant role of socio-behavioural and environmental factors in oral diseaseand health is demonstrated in a large number of epide-miological surveys (WHO, 2003; Petersen, 2003a). Severalof these epidemiological surveys have been carried outon the basis of WHO recommendations and guidelinesdesigned for research and public health current pattern of dental caries reflects primarilydistinct risk profiles across countries ( living condi-tions, lifestyles and environmental factors) and theoutcome of implementation of preventive oral healthsystems.

8 Dental caries is still a major oral health problemin most industrialised countries, affecting 60 90% ofschoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. It is alsoa most prevalent oral disease in several Asian and LatinAmerican countries, while it appears to be less commonand less severe in most African countries. However, it isexpected that the incidence of dental caries will increasein the near future in many developing countries of Africa,particularly as a result of growing consumption of sugarsand inadequate exposure to in some industrialized countries there has beena positive trend of reduction in tooth loss among adultsin recent years, the proportion of edentulous personsamongst the elderly is still high is some countries.

9 Inmost developing countries, access to oral health servicesis limited and teeth are often left untreated or areextracted because of pain or discomfort. Tooth loss and72impaired oral function are therefore expected to grow asa public health problem in many developing , tooth loss in adult life may also be due topoor periodontal health . Severe periodontitis which mayresult in tooth loss , is found in 5-15% of most populations(WHO, 2003; Petersen, 2003a). In industrialized countries,studies show that tobacco use is a major risk factor foradult periodontal disease.

10 With the growing consump-tion of tobacco in many developing countries the risk ofperiodontal disease and tooth loss , therefore, mayincrease (Petersen, 2003b). Periodontal disease and toothloss are also related to general chronic diseases such asdiabetes mellitus (Taylor, 2001). The growing incidenceof diabetes may further impact negatively on oral healthof people in several developing cancer is highly related to use of tobacco andexcessive consumption of alcohol. The prevalence of oralcancer is particularly high among men, the eighth mostcommon cancer world-wide (Steward and Weihues, 2003).


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