A day to remember
World Oral Health Day is celebrated every year on 20 March. It reminds us that healthy teeth, gums and mouth play a crucial role in our ability to work or study without constant, nagging and painful toothache, in our self confidence and in the health of our whole body.

World Oral Health Day 2013
The theme of World Oral Health Day 2013 is ‘Healthy Teeth for Healthy Life’. It reflects the major contribution oral health makes to our lives. Around the world, FDI member dental associations, schools, companies and other groups celebrated the day with events organized under the single, unifying and simple message.

Raising awareness
World Oral Health Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage individuals, families, communities and governments to take measures to lower the incidence of oral disease.

Taking action
World Oral Health Day offers the dental and oral health community a platform for action: working together, we can prevent the epidemic of caries, gum diseases and tooth loss and help our communities maintain a solid dentition for life.

Since 2007
Communities around the world have been celebrating World Oral Health Day since 2008. This followed a decision to create the special celebratory day at the 2007 FDI Annual World Dental Congress (AWDC) in Dubai. The chosen date was 12 September, corresponding to the birthday of FDI founder Charles Godon. Later, practical reasons allied to event planning and organization led FDI leadership to change the date to 20 March.

Prevention and care
The first line of oral health care is with individual through prevention, especially good brushing habits, and regular check-ups. When necessary, the dental profession and dental team are in a position to offer state-of-the-art services to an increasingly large proportion of the population. Orthodontic treatment, dental implants and aesthetic dentistry play an important role in improving quality of life and the health of the general population.

The burden of oral disease
Nevertheless, in many countries, the burden of oral disease and its devastating cost to families and societies is still underestimated. Oral diseases are among the most common chronic diseases. Worldwide, 90% of the population is at risk from some form of disorder, ranging from caries, periodontal diseases and tooth decay to oral cancer.

WOHD2013 National events reports
From Armenia to Australia, from Mexico to Myanmar and from Portugal to Pakistan, news came in daily of the huge investment by FDI national dental associations in World Oral Health Day 2013 and its universal message ‘Healthy Teeth for a Healthy Life’.

In total, 38 events have been communicated, including a policy roundtable ‘In Teeth we Trust’ at the European Parliament! 

Available reports:
Armenia - Australia
Brazil - Burkina Faso
Croatia - Cyprus North
Denmark
Egypt - Estonia
France
Ghana - Greece
Hong Kong SAR - Hungary
Indonesia - Italy
Jamaica
Lithuania
Macedonia Former Yugoslav Republic of - Malta - Mexico - Myanmar
Nepal - Nigeria
Pakistan - Poland - Portugal
Romania
Saudi Arabia - Serbia - Seychelles - Slovenia
Turkey
United States of America
Vietnam

European Union

Related FDI News
14 May World Oral Health Day: a heartwarming story from Mozambique
3 May Total number of World Oral Health Day celebrations: 36 and counting!
4 April World Oral Health Day: preliminary reports
4 April FDI President reiterates WOHD message at dental gathering in Chinese Taipei
22 March FDI President-Elect Dr Tin Chun Wong delivers prevention message at Hanoi (Vietnam) WOHD event
22 March World Oral Health Day opens NASDAQ
28 February Gearing up for WOHD 2013
1 February World Oral Health Day 2013: 40 days to create the buzz!