World Health Organisation Declaration on Child Oral Health

Image
World Health Organisation

Visit the Department of Health website to see the Declaration

"Poor oral health has a significant impact on the quality of life, causing pain and embarrassment, limiting function and being costly to treat.

Among children, dental decay is the most important oral disease. In industrialised countries the majority of school children are affected by dental decay, disease levels being highest in the under-privileged groups. Disease levels are increasing rapidly in the developing countries. Dental disease is well understood and effective prevention is a realistic goal.

To this end, the four UK CDOs have joined forces to call for concerted pan-European and wider global action between now and 2025 to address the pressing problem of poor child oral health. Their first step has been to formulate the following declaration:

“"Good oral health is a fundamental element of good general health. Through the establishment of a global child dental health taskforce we will share information on evidence-based prevention. We will work to implement appropriate and effective initiatives to improve oral health and to reduce oral health inequalities both within and between nations."”

We urge fellow CDOs throughout the world to support this declaration."

This Declaration was signed by:

  • Prof Raman Bedi, CDO, England
  • Dr Doreen Wilson, CDO, N Ireland
  • Dr Ray Watkins, CDO, Scotland
  • Dr Paul Langmaid, CDO, Wales
  • Prof Hari Parkash, Project Director, National Oral Health Care Programme, India
  • Dame Margaret Seward, Past CDO, England
  • Dr. Werner Fischer, Chief Dental Officer, Switzerland
  • Dr Brian Mouatt CBE, Chairman World Dental Development FDI & Past CDO, England
  • Miss Gabriele Sax, Chief Dental Officer, Austria
  • Prof Juan Carlos Llodra, CDO, Spain
  • Dr Vera Hubkova, CDO, Czech Republic
  • Dr Elpida Pavi, CDO, Greece
  • Dr SP Zusman, CDO, Israel
  • Dr Helga Agustsdottir, Chief Dental Officer, Iceland
  • Dr Dushanka Kleinman, Chief Dental Officer, US
  • Dr. Liljan Smith Aandahl, Chief Dental Officer, Norway
  • Dr Agneta Ekman, Chief Dental Officer, Sweden
  • Dr. Enkelejda Pellumbi, Chief Dental Officer, Albania
  • Dr Anne Nordblad, Chief Dental Officer, Finland
  • Dr Simona Dianiskova, CDO, Slovakia
  • Ms. Margaret Shannon, Acting CDO, Ireland
  • Dr Samuel Thorpe, past WHO Regional Advisor for Africa, Sierra Leone
  • Dr L K Gandhi, President Commonwealth Dental Association (CDA), India
  • Doctor Kofo Savage, CDA Vice-president (W.A), Nigeria
  • Dr. Kamran A Vasfy, President, Pakistan Dental Association, Pakistan
  • Dr Bobby Segadimo, Senior Government Advisor, Botswana
  • Dr Margaret Wandera, Country Councillor (IADR), Uganda
  • Dr Kabenge Katy, President, Uganda Dental Association, Uganda
  • Peter Cooney, CDO, Canada
  • Dr. Charles Mugisha Rwenyonyi, Past President, Uganda Dental Association, Uganda
  • Dr Jos van den Heuvel, Chief Dental Officer, The Netherlands