White paper on the importance of oral health promotion
| dc.contributor.author | The Dental Health Foundation | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2012-02-24T10:00:00Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2012-02-24T10:00:00Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011-06 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/212651 | |
| dc.description | The burden of chronic diseases is expected to rise dramatically in the Republic of Ireland between 2007 and 2020 (IPH 2010). The available evidence shows that oral diseases share important common risk factors with the four leading chronic diseases - cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes - including unhealthy diet, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption. Therefore good oral health is of vital importance to the general health of everyone in Ireland. Consequently, oral health promotion and preventive measures are important approaches to improving overall health and reducing costs. Dietary excess can lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis and oral diseases. In 2004 the World Health Organization (WHO) / Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, based on the analysis of the best available evidence on the relationship between diet and physical activity patterns and the major nutrition-related chronic diseases. Recommendations are made to facilitate the formulation of regional strategies and national guidelines to reduce the burden of nutrition-related chronic diseases. The percentage of children under 18 experiencing consistent poverty has increased significantly from 6.3% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009 (State of the Nations Health – Ireland, 2010). Therefore it is imperative that there is continued investment in all areas of health promotion and prevention in Ireland, including water fluoridation. Dental cavities can be prevented by a low level of fluoride constantly maintained in the oral cavity e.g. water fluoridation and the use of fluoride toothpaste. Long-term exposure to an optimal level of fluoride results in fewer cavities in both children and adults. Traditional curative dental care is a significant economic burden for many high-income countries, where 5-10% of public health expenditure relates to oral health. The burden of oral diseases and other chronic diseases can be decreased simultaneously by addressing common risk factors such as tobacco use and unhealthy diet. (WHO, 2007) Concerns about escalating health costs have led to increased interest in the cost effectiveness of public health programs many health promotion interventions do result in substantial cost savings for government and the community. The public health solutions for oral diseases are most effective when they are integrated with other chronic diseases and with national public health programmes. By using these prevention strategies, the high cost of dental treatments can be avoided (WHO, 2007). | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.subject | DENTAL HEALTH | en |
| dc.subject | CHRONIC DISEASE | en |
| dc.subject | ORAL HEALTH PROMOTION | en |
| dc.subject | ORAL HEALTH | en |
| dc.title | White paper on the importance of oral health promotion | en |
| dc.type | Report | en |
| refterms.dateFOA | 2018-08-22T15:54:34Z |
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
