Abstract
Oral diseases are the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCD) globally. Untreated caries in permanent teeth is ranked as #1 by WHO and affects more than 2.4 billion people worldwide. That is 35.3 % of the global population. Severe periodontal (gum) disease is ranked #6 and affects 743 million people (10.8 % of the entire global population). The distribution of oral diseases is not necessarily equally distributed within the different countries but is affected by socio-economy, educational level, nutrition and availability of sweets, oral hygiene, dental care, and other factors. It should however be noted that oral diseases to a large extent are preventable diseases, mostly by patient homecare. The evidence base shows periodontitis, which is the severe form of gum disease, has associations with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cognitive decline, and many other non-communicable diseases. Recognition of these mutual risk factors and knowledge sharing between dentistry and general health are scarce in clinical practice. This presentation aims to pay attention to oral health and its implications for the systemic health and quality of life of the global population.
_Website-1.jpg){kind=small}
