27 June 2023

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Access to oral care should be universal, barrier-free

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In an editorial published June 21 in the International Dental Journal, Lakshman Samaranayake outlines a new white paper produced by the International Dental Federation (FDI). She is the editor-in-chief of the International Dental Journal. 

Samaranayake writes that oral diseases continue to plague humanity. Despite breathtaking advances in health care, oral and maxillofacial afflictions are a neglected global public health challenge. Oral diseases are amongst the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting some 3.5 billion people. Their direct cost is estimated to be almost US$55 billion annually, whilst the indirect treatment costs due to neglected oral disease are considered to be more than US$185 billion.

These figures are probably not widely known, as oral diseases are generally relegated to the “back burner” by many health and other major decision-making authorities. Nevertheless, the human suffering and the economic impact of oral diseases extend far and wide. Apart from causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement, tooth loss, and poor quality of life for the individual, oral diseases are well known to result in unaccountable numbers of missed school or workdays as well. Hence, coping with the current universal burden of oral disease is a herculean challenge, and understanding its economic implications is critical for all decision-makers in every region of the world.

In the face of this extraordinary challenge, the International Dental Federation has now produced a comprehensive white paper that provides a contemporaneous and state-of-the art overview of the situation as well as practical solutions for mitigating poor access to oral care. The white paper, entitled “Access to Oral Health Through Primary Health Care,” was produced by a group of academics and policymakers.

It was written to support National Dental Associations (NDAs) and policymakers in understanding the challenges in accessing oral health care and provides so-called implementable solutions to address this universal problem.

First, the document addresses both the macro- and micro-level issues pertaining to accessing, delivering, and utilising oral health care. The key takeaways in this section include the following barriers to access:

• Unequal distribution and inaccessibility to the oral health workforce
  
  
• Oral health being separately compartmentalised from the rest of the health care framework
  
  
• Inequalities due to advancing technologies, particularly in high-income countries
  
  
• Lack of governmental commitment to tackling the social and commercial determinants of health that contribute to oral diseases
  
  
• Ever-increasing cost of oral health care, which is not usually covered by the national health or health insurance services in most jurisdictions.

A podcast was produced to highlight the white paper. 

Read about the solutions proposed in: “Access to Oral Care Should Be Universal and Barrier-Free,” A Seminal FDI White Paper Explains."

Lakshman Samaranayake, “Access to Oral Care Should Be Universal and Barrier-Free,” A Seminal FDI White Paper Explains, International Dental Journal, 2023, ISSN 0020-6539, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.identj.2023.06.005.