Action on oral health
Chuly, 10, was born with cleft palate visit dental clinic in Phnom Penh
Overview
Oral diseases pose a significant public health challenge in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The age standardized prevalence of main oral diseases and conditions for both sexes and all ages is 49.97% (95%CI: 45.79%-54.12%) . Cases numbers are estimated as 1,025.58 million.
The first ever WHO Global Oral Health Meeting, convened in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2024 focused on reaffirming the political commitment made by Member States in the 2021 Resolution on oral health (WHA 74.5) and accelerating national efforts towards universal health coverage (UHC) for all by 2030 based on the Global Oral Health Action Plan (GOHAP) 2023-2030 and the Action plan for oral health in South-East Asia 2022–2030.
The WHO Global Oral Health Meeting culminated in the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration – No Health Without Oral Health, a crucial affirmation of political commitment from Member States to elevate oral diseases as a global public health priority and to integrate oral health within the NCD, UHC and planetary health agendas.
