“Recent data show that the WHO European Region has the highest prevalence of major oral diseases (50.1% of the adult population) of all six WHO Regions worldwide,” the WHO European Region said in a statement regarding the report, based on 2022 data.
Accordingly, while the prevalence of dental caries in WHO Europe ranks first compared to other WHO regions, it was emphasized that tooth loss is the second most common oral disease.
It was emphasized that WHO Southeast Asia Region has the highest number of oral diseases, but WHO Europe is the region where oral diseases are most common. “The Southeast Asian Region has the highest number of major oral disease cases among WHO regions due to its large population, while the European Region has the highest case prevalence at 50.1 percent; major oral diseases affected approximately 466 million people in 2019.''
In the report, it was stated that 34 countries in the WHO European Region, which concern the health of more than 900 million citizens of 53 countries, do not yet have a "national oral health policy". It was underlined that there is no private health officer for oral diseases in the Ministries of Health of 11 countries.
'ORAL HEALTH AFFECTS PERSONAL CONFIDENCE IN GENERAL'
Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, wrote in the foreword to the report: “Good Oral Health is very important in people's daily lives: it affects eating, speaking, communication behavior and personal confidence in general. Oral Health extends from the first years of life into old age and is an integral part of overall health. Oral health has long been neglected on the global health agenda.''
Kluge stated that oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people in the world.