The WHO report 'Global Oral Health Status Report' paints a clear picture of the prevalence of oral diseases and contains data from 194 countries. At the end of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the new edition. The last edition of this was almost twenty years ago. 

The data in the report is based on the most recent results from the Global Burden of Disease project, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and WHO global surveys. Based on the data, it has been determined that approximately half of the world's population - 3.5 billion people - has an oral disease, and that three-quarters of these live in a country with a low or middle income. In addition, it is becoming clear that the disease burden of oral disorders is heavier than that of non-communicable diseases such as mental disorders, diabetes or cancer. Moreover, this burden has become substantially heavier over the past thirty years due to the limited accessibility of prevention and treatment.

“Oral health has long been neglected worldwide, but many oral diseases can be prevented or treated with the cost-effective measures described in this report,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a press release. “WHO aims to provide guidance and support to countries so that everyone, wherever they live and whatever their earnings, has the knowledge and tools to take good care of their teeth and mouth and access to prevention and care when they are who needs.”

According to the report, the most common oral diseases worldwide are caries, severe periodontitis, tooth loss and oral cancer. Data indicate that an estimated 2.5 billion people suffer from untreated caries, making it the most common condition. Severe periodontal disease is estimated to affect approximately 1 billion people worldwide. An astounding 380,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year.

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This report is valuable both for policymakers and for stakeholders who want to put good and accessible oral care on the map in their own region.