GENEVA: FDI World Dental Federation and the NCD Alliance has recently joined forces to develop guidance for policymakers concerning World Health Organization's recent resolution on oral health (2021) and the upcoming 2022 global strategy on tackling oral diseases.
The venture aimed to contemplate oral health, an essential element of general health and well-being.
The document 'WHY and HOW to integrate oral health into the NCD and UHC responses' asks for integrating oral healthcare and health promotion into Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) strategies and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) benefit packages. It also provides solutions on how to implement such strategies.
It stated that oral diseases should be considered part of the NCD and UHC responses as oral health is a crucial indicator of well-being, general health and quality of life. Strong oral health informatics help to implement this change. Moreover, dental services, oral health promotion, multidisciplinary research, interprofessional collaboration, and cost-effective solutions help prevent the risk factors of oral and other non-communicable diseases. The successful integration of oral health into the NCD and UHC responses will easily be implemented through this.
