Noncommunicable chronic diseases, which continue to dominate in lower-middle and upper income countries, are becoming increasingly prevalent in many of the poorest developing countries. They create a
double burden on top of the infectious diseases that continue to afflict
these countries.

The objectives of the WHO Global Oral Health Programme (ORH), one of
the technical programmes within the Department of Chronic Diseases and
Health Promotion (CHP), have been reoriented according to the new
strategy of disease prevention and promotion of health. Greater emphasis
is put on developing global policies in oral health promotion and oral
disease prevention, coordinated more effectively with other priority
programmes of CHP and other clusters and with external partners.

Several principles form the basis for the work carried out. The WHO
Oral Health Programme works with building oral health policies towards
effective control of risks to oral health, based on the common risk
factors approach. The focus is

on modifiable risk behaviours related to diet, nutrition, use of tobacco and excessive consumption of alcohol, and hygiene.

The Programme stimulates development and implementation of
community-oriented demonstration projects for oral health promotion and
prevention of oral diseases with focus on disadvantaged and poor
population groups in developed and developing countries. Certain
developing countries, countries with economies and health systems in
transition, and industrialized, developed countries are targeted.
Community empowerment strategies are applied accordin

g to the Primary Health Care concept.

The Programme supports countries and regions in their efforts
ensuring healthy environments such as access to safe water and
sanitation, and it is a priority issue to encourage national health
authorities to implement effective fluoride programmes for prevention of
dental caries. Such initiatives range from automatic fluoride
administration (e.g. water or salt fluoridation) to programmes based on
the use of affordable fluoridated toothpastes. Self-care practices in
relation to oral hygiene are essential to promotion of oral health and
the Oral Health Programme works for formulation of national and
community policies on effective control of diet and nutrition risk
factors for dental diseases, oral cancer, and cranio-facial development
diseases. This work is carried out through the WHO Global Strategy on
Diet, Physical Activity and Health. In addition, the WHO Oral Health
Programme focuses on tobacco use (smoking and smokeless tobacco) being
risk factor to conditions such as oral cancer, oral mucosal lesions and
periodontal disease.

Oral health is part of total health and essential to quality of life
and WHO projects intend to translate the evidence into action
programmes. The Oral Health Programme therefore gives priority to
integration of oral health with general health programmes at community
or national levels. The WHO Oral Health Programme works from the
life-course perspective, currently community programmes for improved
oral health of the elderly and of children is given high priority. The
implementation of school oral health programmes within the framework of
the WHO Health Promoting Schools Initiative is supported and guidelines
are developed. Oral health systems reorientation towards prevention and
health promotion is recommended in light of the Ottawa Charter, the
primary health care concept and the Jakarta Declaration on leading
Health Promotion into the 21st Century. In addition, global goals for
oral health by the year 2020 are specified for development of quality of
oral health systems. The Programme works for application of
evidence-based strategies in oral health promotion, prevention and
treatment of oral diseases worldwide, health systems research and
development. Emphasis is also given on prevention and care of oral
mucosal lesions, including oral cancer and oral manifestations of
HIV/AIDS, cranio-facial disorders, trauma and injuries.

source: who.com

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