Dili, March 22, 2025 (Média Democracia) – World Oral Health Day, celebrated every March 20, invites the public to care about oral health as the main indicator of general health, a good life with a good quality of life. Oral diseases are non-communicable diseases and the most common in the world suffered by 3.5 billion people. This activity is held on Thursday.
WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Saima Wazed said that the World Health Organization calls on countries in the South-East Asia Region and partners to accelerate action to replicate the compromise of the Bangkok declaration “No health without oral health” adopted at the WHO Global Oral Health Meeting in November 2024.
“Oral diseases cause physical syndromes, functional limitations and adversely affect emotional, mental and social well-being. Among the six WHO South-East Asia countries, the highest number of cases of oral diseases and conditions is reported, reflecting the large population in the region. Our region is also highly affected by oral cancer among all WHO regions. It marks the leading cancer among men in the region, representing 11.2% of all cases,” said WHO South-East Asia Regional Director, Saima Wazed.
She continued, Southeast Asia is also home to countries that are major consumers of carcinogens which have been proven to cause cases of oral cancer such as smokeless betel nut or arena nut.
“Recently, a study showed that one in two cases of oral cancer in our region was due to consumption of unsmoked areca nut or betel nut. This essentially shows the number of cases that could be prevented if unsmoked areca nut was eliminated from the population, highlighting the potential impact of primary prevention,” She said.
She added that in this context of high rates of oral diseases and conditions, a compromise was made to offer orientation and technical support that all countries can apply to implement the WHO Regional Action Plan for Oral Health in South-East Asia 2023-2030 and lead the region towards universal oral health by 2030.
“The first Global Oral Health Summit to be held in Bangkok in November 2024 is a valuable platform for member countries to share insights and learn from other countries’ experiences. The National Oral Health Summits established at this meeting are a strategic planning tool to guide countries and translate identified priorities into actionable actions over the next few years,” She said.
She emphasized that as a follow-up to the member countries’ order to WHO to provide technical support for dealing with the high rate of oral cancer caused by consumption of betel nut, WHO is preparing to establish a WHO regional center in Southeast Asia to deal with the high rate of oral cancer.
Further explained that the purpose of this tool is to guide Member States in relevant strategies in the region to address the high incidence of oral cancer and its impact on other health. In the meantime, WHO continues to promote technical support, calling on all stakeholders in oral health to make good use of this orientation to accelerate progress towards universal oral health by 2030 in the region. Let’s not forget the theme of World Oral Health Day 2025, “A Healthy Mouth, a Happy Mind.”
Reported by : Nelfiano
Picture by : Média officer of WHO