Below you will find more information and reports on FDI conferences and events on oral health promotion:
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Conference for Oral Health in the Americas
NOTE: Unfortunately, this conference has been cancelled. FDI & PAHO remain committed to improving oral health in the region and will continue their efforts and engagement with all stakeholders in this context.
Original conference brochure - English (.PDF, 529Kb)
Press Releases
2008.04.02 Cancelled: Conference for Oral Health in the Americas
2008.04.02 Cancelada: Conferencia sobre la Salud Bucal en las Américas
2007.07.12 Postponed: Conference for Oral Health in the Americas
2007.07.12 Postergada: La Conferencia de Salud Bucodental en las Américas
2007.23.05 The FDI and the WHO/PAHO join forces to improve health in the Americas
2007.23.05 La FDI y OPS/OMS se unen para mejorar la salud en las Américas
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World Noma Day
In association with The International NoNoma Federation, the World Health Organization AFRO and the Winds of Hope Foundation, the FDI co-organised the first World Noma Day on 22 May 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.
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The objectives of World Noma Day were to alert the international community of the ravages of Noma affecting children; increase actions to prevent Noma in the countries concerned; reinforce the commitment of governments to this disease; develop and foster partnerships between private initiatives and government authorities to improve the prevention of Noma; mobilize resources to fight against Noma; implement a policy of common actions to eventually eradicate this disease.
Additional Information
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Nairobi Conference on Oral Health in Africa
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The Planning Conference for Oral Health in the African Region was
held in Nairobi, Kenya (14-16 April 2004) and was co-sponsored by
the World Health Organization. Read a first report about the conference
and more details on other aspects of the meeting.
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Conference Report
Electronic version of the conference
report released! Download the English pdf-file of the report:
Oral
Health in the African Region Conference (480kb)
Le rapport de le Conférence est disponible ŕ télécharger:
Rapport
de la Conférence de Planification de la Santé Bucco-dentaire dans
la Région Africaine (480kb)
Please contact the FDI via e-mail to info@fdiworldental.org
if you wish to obtain a printed copy of the conference report.
Additional Information
Overview [+]
The conference, organised by the FDI and co-sponsored
by the World Health Organization, was a huge success both in
terms of attendance and outcome. 189 delegates from 48 African
and nine non-African countries - 10 were Ministers of Health
or Finance and approximately 30 were Chief Dental Officers -
attended. There were also representatives from all FDI Member
Associations in Africa. Dr Samba, Regional Director of WHO/AFRO
said, that this was a truly historic meeting and “the
first ever conference on oral health on the African continent
of that magnitude and impact”.
The aims of the conference were to sensitise political leaders
to the link between oral and general health and to raise awareness
of oral health issues. In addition - it was to propose effective
strategies to integrate oral health into existing health care
systems as well as strengthening public-private partnerships.
The deliberations during the conference were mainly based on
the existing WHO Regional Oral Strategy for the period 1999-2008.
The Hon Moody Awori, Vice President of the Republic of Kenya,
officially opened the conference. Among the many important speakers
during the opening ceremony were the Hon Charity Ngilu, Minister
of Health of Kenya and Dr Ebrahim Samba, WHO Regional Director
for Africa.
Mrs Charity Ngilu said that the problem posed by oral diseases
in Africa is compounded by the fact that budgetary allocations
to oral health programmes have been minimal. She illustrated
the inadequate attention paid to oral health in Africa with
Kenya where, she said, “the allocation to dental health
care is 0.0016 % of the total health budget”. Mrs Ngilu
stated that although most oral diseases are preventable, there
are few active oral health education and prevention programmes
in the region. She finished by urging participants to come up
with suggestions to lay the foundation for the development,
improvement and coordination of oral health care in the region.
Dr Samba declared that the presence at the conference of so
many African countries signaled a new awakening to the importance
of oral health, and the determination by African governments
to face up to the challenges posed.
Dr Bertrand Piccard, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy
and a world-renowned balloon pilot, gave the keynote lecture.
He had, together with his co-pilot Brian Jones, created “Winds
of Hope”, a humanitarian foundation to use the financial
and media impact of the round-the-world flight to fight suffering
in the world. One of the main focus areas are the support of
the WHO/AFRO Noma programme.
During the Conference there were lectures by renowned speakers
on framework and partnerships, the organisation and finance
of oral care, infection control and NOMA – followed by
vivid discussions. During the workshops practical issues related
to strategic planning for oral health care were debated.
A number of spin-off meetings were organised taking advantage
of the unique opportunity to get together (ie FDI lunch with
member associations, an informal meeting for a Public Health
Training Network in West Africa, a special meeting on oral health
in Rwanda and many others).
A comprehensive report covering all aspects of the conference
is in preparation and will be sent to all delegates as soon
as it becomes available (September 2004). Please contact the
FDI at info@fdiworldental.org
if you wish to get copies.
Conference Aims [+]
1) Get commitment of political leaders by
a. Highlighting the link between general and oral health
b. Highlighting inequalities in oral health status and oral
health care
2) Increase the number of functioning national oral health strategies
by
a. Training Chief Dental Officers and other involved officers
b. Providing examples of alternative ways of financing of oral
health care
3) Develop financial private – public partnerships to
improve oral health and oral health services
4) Agree on recommendations arising from the meeting and formulate
a document supported by all delegates
Background: Oral Health in Africa [+]
The presence of widespread poverty and underdevelopment in Africa
exposes communities to all of the major environmental determinants
of oral disease. The profile of oral disease is not homogenous
across Africa, with health indicators varying among countries
and across groups within countries. The most pressing oral health
problems among African communities include:
- Dental caries;
- Trauma to teeth and jaws;
- Oral cancer;
- Cancrum oris (Noma); and
- Oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS
These are the diseases that increasingly have the greatest morbidity
and mortality of all oral conditions in the region. Taken together
they have significant negative impact on the quality of life
for millions of people. Other problems include congenital abnormalities,
fluorosis (particularly in the Rift Valley area of East Africa),
harmful practices, benign tumours and total tooth loss (edentulism).
The African region also faces an acute lack of recent, reliable
and comparable data as well as processes for converting data
into information for planning.
Previous approaches to improving oral health in Africa have
been modelled on those of affluent countries and have therefore
failed to recognise the epidemiological priorities of the region
and identify reliable and appropriate strategies to address
them. Efforts have consisted of providing unplanned and inappropriate
curative oral services, which in most cases are poorly distributed
and reach only affluent or urban communities.
The main problems include:
- Lack of national oral health policies and plans;
- Inappropriately trained dentists;
- Lack of dental auxiliaries;
- Inequality and inequity in services;
- Services that are almost entirely curative;
- Services that are not evidence based; and
- Lack of appropriate equipment and materials and poor
maintenance.
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Unfortunately, oral health care has low priority in many African
countries. Most resources devoted to health are channelled towards
the control of communicable (infectious) diseases. In the last
few decades, major changes have occurred globally in the patterns
of oral disease. Although oral health has improved dramatically
in the industrialised world, there has been a general decline
in the oral health of populations living in the African region.
It is especially worthwhile noting, that in Africa there is
an increasing prevalence and severity of dental caries. The
most rapid increases are occurring in the urbanised, higher
socio-economic groups. Such trends reflect economic and cultural
trends in the region with the change of traditional lifestyles
i.e. from traditional starchy foods to a greater consumption
of refined sugars. Of particular concern is the fact that 90%
of the caries in African countries remains untreated.
| "The
situation in Africa in relation to oral health can be
summarised as the absence of an environment conducive
to oral health and lack of access to simple, yet appropriate
treatment."
Sam Thorpe, Secretary General Commonwealth Dental
Association |
The shortage of the oral health workforce in many African countries
signifies a major obstacle for the provision of oral health
care to all people. In many nations, attempts to improve the
situation by increasing the dental workforce through training
more dentists have failed to improve equity of oral health services.
A common scenario is that newly trained dentists tend to cluster
in the urban areas, thus leaving a shortage of care in poorer
rural regions. This phenomenon is known as the “inverse
care law”, where communities of greatest need have the
least resources and services. Another issue common to many countries
around the world, including those in Africa is the migration
of trained health professionals from Africa to more lucrative
markets overseas. This “brain drain” further exacerbates
the shortage of health workers in the African setting. Imaginative
solutions are called for in these circumstances.
Read more about the situation of oral health in Africa on the
WHO/AFRO website at http://www.afro.who.int/oralhealth/epidemiology.html
Read an editorial in Developing Dentistry written by Dr Sam
Thorpe, former Regional Advisor for Oral Health at WHO/AFRO
Oral
Health in Africa PDF - file size 64K
Conference Programme [+]
During the conference days delegates discussed the impact of
oral disease on their populations while renowned experts highlighted
simple but effective public health measures to address the oral
health needs. The existing Regional Strategy for Oral Health,
drafted by WHO and adopted by all health ministers of the region
in 1998, was central to the deliberations. Practical workshops
allowed for tangible results and detailed discussions of technical
aspects. Several additional and informal meetings took place
around the main proceedings, ie an FDI lunch for African Member
Associations, a General Assembly of the African Regional Organisation,
a meeting of Chief Dental Officers, a meeting on oral health
in Rwanda, Women in Dentistry etc.
The programme can be downloaded in English and French –
click here.
Nairobi Declaration [+]
A first tangible outcome of the conference was the Nairobi Declaration
on Oral Health in Africa that was adopted unanimously. The delegates
confirmed their commitment to increase the number of countries
with functioning oral health policies in the region and emphasised
that the integration of oral health into general health activities
and primary health care are essential. The document will help
WHO, FDI, National Dental Associations and governments in their
advocacy for the future.
The consequences arising from the Nairobi Declaration will be
discussed at the next meeting of African Health Ministers during
the WHO/AFRO Regional Committee Meeting in September 2004 and
will also be put forward to the African Union in Addis Ababa
for further endorsement.
Nairobi Declaration on Oral Health
in Africa
A Commitment to Action
The participants at the "FDI World Dental Federation/World
Health Organization Planning Conference for Oral Health
in the African Region" representing 48 countries
(36 from AFRO, 12 from EMRO) welcomed the initiative to
examine the impact of oral health problems and their relation
to general health in the region and endorsed the aims
of the conference.
The participants emphasised that oral health is an integral
part of general health subject to the same determinants.
They expressed concern about the growing oral disease
burden and disparity in health in and between countries
in Africa, as well as low availability and access to programmes
and services for oral health.
In particular they took note of the following valuable
documents:
- The World Oral Health Report 2003
- The African Regional Oral Health Strategy 1999 –2008
- The Global Goals for Oral Health by 2020
- Writing Oral Health Policy: A guide for Oral Health
Managers
- The Basic Package of Oral Care
- The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity
and Health
- The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
The participants hereby affirm their commitment to general
and oral health as a basic human right and resolve to
work together emphasising the following areas:
- The development of appropriate oral health policies
at national and local level backed by a sustainable
oral health dataset to facilitate subsequent evaluation
- The pursuit of environmental changes and the promotion
of lifestyles to the benefit of health
- The support of affordable preventive strategies,
services and the strengthening and rationalisation of
human resources for oral heath
- Policies enabling all people access to an appropriate
locally determined programme of essential oral health
care that includes pain relief, oral disease control
and promotion of oral health and the integration of
oral health care in primary health care programmes in
an environment that is free from the transmission of
infectious disease.
The participants commend the partnership between the FDI
and WHO for this initiative and call upon all parties
to use their best endeavours to support improvements of
oral health.
Nairobi 15 April 2004
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The Nairobi Declaration is available in PDF format. To view
it you will need to have Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
Nairobi Declaration (96K)
Nairobi
Declaration on Oral Health in Africa pdf Déclaration
de Nairobi sur la santé bucco-dentaire dans la région
Africaine pdf
Corporate supporters [+]
The FDI wishes to thank the corporate and NGO supporters of
the conference, namely Colgate Palmolive International, Colgate
Palmolive East-Africa, Procter & Gamble Oral Care, Unilever
Ltd and OSAP for their generous support.
Further information [+]
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Global Oral Health Planning Workshop |
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The FDI Planning Workshop "Global Oral Health" organised
by the World Dental Development Committee was successfully held in
France on 4-5 April 2003. The unique gathering brought together more
than 70 participants from all over the world and with very different
backgrounds. The report of the meeting has finally been released.
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Additional Information
Aims of the Workshop [+]
- To raise awareness, enthusiasm, responsibility and support for
oral health development among identified aid organisations and other
stakeholders.
- To facilitate networking, information exchange and development
of mutual trust.
- To introduce the concept of the Basic Package of Oral Care, explore
variations addressing the local cultural and economic situations
and to get reactions to the concept.
Objectives [+]
- To introduce participants to the dimensions of poverty, the real
health needs of poor communities and the importance of affordability
and sustainability of basic oral care.
- To exchange updated information about current approaches to oral
health promotion and to introduce the concept of the Basic Package
or Oral Care.
- To exchange practical experiences on project planning and evaluation.
- To develop and agree to a charter/declaration on World Dental
Development based on the key issues of the Planning Workshop.
- To explore the way forward in relations between all stakeholders
in oral health and the FDI and to create a dynamic network of partners.
Executive Summary [+]
Lire
le document de synthèse du Séminaire de planification
de la santé bucco-dentaire globale ici
The Global Oral Health Planning Workshop, organised by FDI World
Dental Federation, was held in Thoiry, France, on April 4-5, 2003.
Eighty-two participants from 32 countries discussed a range of global
oral health development issues. Representatives from dental aid organisations,
governments, FDI, WHO, universities and the dental industry attended
the conference which consisted of presentations, workshops and plenary
sessions.
The goals of the Global Oral Health Planning Workshop were to strengthen
and maximise the impact development and dental aid initiatives have,
and to ensure that appropriate approaches are followed in order in
ensure effective collaborate working. It was also an opportunity to
introduce basic public health principles to the participants in order
for them to incorporate these important messages into their future
programmes and initiatives.
Dato Dr A Ratnanesan, President of FDI World Dental Federation, welcomed
the delegates. He set the scene by suggesting that the Global Oral
Health Planning Workshop was a significant milestone for the pursuit
of oral health development globally. In the opening presentation,
Prof Poul Erik Petersen, Oral Health Programme, World Health Organisation
(WHO), Geneva, highlighted the importance of collaboration between
different stakeholders and outlined procedures for engaging with WHO.
The Regional Advisor for Oral Health at WHO/AFRO, Dr Charlotte Ndiaye,
then outlined the current status of oral health systems in African
countries. She emphasised the importance of assisting countries in
developing their own national oral health strategies and highlighted
the value of integrating oral health policies into general public
health policies. Dr Brian Mouatt, Chairman of the FDI’s World
Dental Development Committee (WDDC) described and summarised the role
of the committee which takes the FDI Mission statement: “to
promote optimal oral and general health for all peoples”, as
one of its founding principles.
Other presentations covered the different aspects of the Basic Package
of Oral Care (BPOC). The three key components that constitute the
BPOC include: Oral Urgent Treatment (OUT), Affordable Fluoride Toothpaste
(AFT), and Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART). Oral health promotion
was recognised as being an integral part of the BPOC. Priorities and
strategies for promoting and improving oral health care were discussed.
The emphasis of the presentations was on evidence-based approaches
with proven effectiveness that are acceptable, feasible, appropriate
and affordable for the most disadvantaged communities. The philosophy
of Primary Health Care (PHC), with its leading principle of basic
care for all and emphasis on prevention as well as affordable and
sustainable services was highlighted.
Large segments of the world’s population have limited or no
access to oral health care. The shortage of dentists and insufficient
resources for oral health are often considered the main barriers to
future improvements. However, it was noted that increasing the number
of dentists and providing them with advanced equipment is usually
neither feasible nor appropriate. Instead, the provision of appropriate
oral care by properly trained auxiliaries (including professionals
complimentary to dentistry and primary health care workers) was encouraged.
Case studies from Cambodia and Tanzania indicate that medical auxiliaries
who were trained in a relatively short time could provide basic oral
health care to the community in a satisfactory way. Basic oral health
care can and should be offered by dental auxiliaries stationed in
the first line of PHC. Another presentation, based on the experiences
in Nepal described the successful process of advocating for the fluoridation
of toothpaste and thus ensuring that the “healthy choice is
the easy choice”.
This Report acknowledges the central role that the FDI World Dental
Federation and WHO have in providing information, support and facilitation
in the building of partnerships between National Dental Associations,
NGOs, civil society organisations, national governments and industry,
in order to improve and promote oral and general health globally.
The Report recognises the important role oral health promotion, advocacy,
multi-sectoral working, collaboration, and evidence-based programmes
have in achieving “Health For All”. The Report firmly
recognises that oral health is an integral component of general health.
Basic principles and philosophies are outlined that are based on sound
dental public health knowledge and cover the most urgent aspects of
global oral health development.
The role of FDI on development issues and in setting standards was
also acknowledged. The FDI was commended on this important initiative,
encouraged to build upon the achievements of the workshop and to commit
itself to supporting the goal of reducing inequalities in health and
to increase access to appropriate and affordable oral health care.
Oral health is not just focused on the mouth. It has broad societal
impacts and it is important that public and corporate policy makers
understand and respond to these broader issues.
The FDI and WDDC believe that mechanisms need to be established to
address these issues in order to ensure that deprived communities
benefit. It is recognised that governments, national dental associations,
industry, aid organisations and other relevant stakeholders be made
aware and sensitised to the existing unsatisfactory state of affairs
that are present in oral health globally. These stakeholders must
collaborate in order to contribute towards the successful resolution
and alleviation of oral health inequalities and thus equitable distribution
of oral health.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the “Ferney-Voltaire
Declaration on Global Oral Health Development” where the participants
expressed their “concern over the growing disparities in oral
health and access to affordable oral health care between the rich
and poor throughout the world”. The participants also affirmed
their commitment to improve oral health through increased access to
affordable oral health care and implementation of appropriate oral
health policies and development policies more generally.
Full Report [+]
Ferney Voltaire Declaration [+]
FERNEY DECLARATION ON GLOBAL ORAL HEALTH
DEVELOPMENT
Noting that
“Governments have a responsibility for the health of
their people which can be fulfilled only by the provision of
adequate health and social measures” (Article V Declaration
of Alma Ata, 1978), and
Recognising that
Oral health is an integral part of general health and subject
to the same determinants. All participants of the FDI Global
Oral Health Planning Workshop expressed concern over the growing
disparities in oral health and access to affordable oral health
care between rich and poor throughout the world and consequently:
Support
The FDI Statement “Improving Access To Oral Health Care”,
Acknowledge
The central role of the FDI World Dental Federation and WHO
in providing information, support and facilitation in the building
of partnerships between national dental associations, NGOs and
civil society, national governments and industry,
Affirm
Their commitment to health as a basic human right for all
peoples, and
Urge
All concerned with health to work together in a network of
formal and informal partnerships to reduce inequalities in health
and to increase access to affordable oral health care by developing
policies that focus on:
- Improving living and working conditions
- Enabling people to adopt healthier lifestyles
- Encouraging communities to participate in every stage of
the policy planning process
- Enabling all people to access an appropriate locally determined
programme of basic oral health care that includes: relief
of pain, promotion of oral health and the management of oral
diseases and conditions.
The participants of the workshop commend the FDI for this initiative.
The participants call upon the FDI to build on the achievements
of the workshop and commit themselves to supporting this effort.
Signed by the participants at Ferney-Voltaire, France,
on the 5th of April 2003 |
Download the declaration in PDF format. To view it you will need
to have Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
Ferney Voltaire Declaration on Global Oral
Health Development PDF (250K)
English
French
Spanish
Supporters [+]
The FDI thanks the following organisations and companies for their
support to the Global Oral Health Planning Workshop:
ADA - American Dental Association, USA
AOI - Aide Odontologique Internationale, France
GlaxoSmithKline Inc, USA
WHO Collaborating Center Nijmengen, Netherlands
Workshop Participants
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