World Oral Health Day

 

The FDI welcomes all activities and initiatives aiming at increasing awareness for oral health as well as the impact of oral diseases on general health, well-being and national economies. In support of such activities the FDI declares a World Oral Health Day to be celebrated on 12 September of every year.

Activities

To share what your association is doing in your country and to further promote your activities, we encourage you to submit to the FDI the information listed below with any high-resolution images to media@fdiworldental.org.

Please include in your email:

  • Name of Association
  • National World Oral Health Day Contact Information (name/email/phone number/address)
  • Association's or National World Oral Health Day Website
  • List or Summary of Activities (please include relevant date and time)

 

2010 activities

New Zealand Dental Association
WEBSITE: www.healthysmiles.org.nz
CONTACT: Deepa Krishnan Email: deepa@nzda.org.nz

  • Celebrating World Oral Health Day since 2008
  • Promotion of World Oral Health Day through "Healthy Smiles" photographic competition. Please find attached last year's grand prize winning photograph.
  • This year, grand prize winner will take home an Apple iPhone. We have asked the general public to share their photograph demonstrating one of the steps to maintain healthy smiles – healthy eating, effective home oral care and regular dental visits.
  • To promote World Oral Health Day in schools we have announced funding for schools. Schools can apply for and qualify for funding to organize World Oral Health Day event during the week of 6 – 12 September 2010. A maximum of $1,000 will be granted to individual schools.

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Background Information

Open Letter from the FDI President

Why 12 September?

  1. It is the most common month for existing Oral Health Days around the world.
  2. The birthday of Dr Charles Godon, founder of the FDI, falls on 12 September 1854.
  3. The day is the anniversary of the groundbreaking World Health Organization's International Conference on Primary Health Care at Alma Ata, which took place on 12 September 1978.

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How to get involved?

As World Oral Health Day will be celebrated for the first time this year in 2008, the FDI has decided to use the occasion to raise general awareness about oral health and World Oral Health Day.

The FDI encourages member associations to organise a local, national or regional event focussing on the importance of oral health. We suggest that you invite/inform as many local and/or national media outlets (radio, print, TV, Internet) about your activities and World Oral Health Day as possible.

Please contact your national dental association to find out more about the activities taking place in your country and how you can participate.

Reference documents

ENGLISH
FDI Policy Statement - World Oral Health Day (.pdf, 45kb)
Background on World Oral Health Day (.pdf, 16kb)

DEUTSCH
FDI Stellungnahme - Weltmundgesundheitstag (.pdf, 14kb)
Hintergrundinformationen zum Weltmundgesundheitstag (.pdf, 17kb)

ESPAÑOL
Declaración de Principios - Día Mundial de la Salud Bucodental (.pdf, 12kb)
Introducción al Día Mundial de la Salud Bucodental (.pdf, 17kb)

FRANÇAIS
Déclaration de Principe - Journée mondiale de la santé bucco-dentaire (.pdf, 12kb)
Des informations sur la Journée mondiale de la santé bucco-dentaire (.pdf, 18kb)

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2008 activities

Czech Dental Chamber
WEBSITE: www.dent.cz
CONTACT: Jitka Landova (landova@dent.cz)

  • On the occasion of World Oral Health Day, the Czech Dental Chamber will organise a General Assembly in Prague on 13 September 2008 at 10 a.m.
  • Information about World Oral Health Day has been listed on the website and magazine of the Czech Dental Chamber.

 

Flemish Dental Association
WEBSITE: www.kys.be/html/extra.htm

  • Organised on 10 September, a press conference about the first World Oral Health Day. There was good coverage on radio, television and journals. (Press release in Dutch .pdf)
  • Commercial Spot - to be broadcasted more than 50 times on television (6 times on 12 Sept)
  • Launched a song about oral health
  • Distributed posters to all dentists to hang in their waiting room
  • Created a mask that goes with the commercial and posters for dentists to distribute to youngsters
  • All materials can be downloaded from www.kys.be/html/extra.htm
  • Kids Top 20 (popular television series for kids) highlighted oral health in their 6 Sept and 13 Sept broadcasts.
  • Announced new education for dental assistants

 

Macedonian Dental Society
WEBSITE: www.msd.org.mk
CONTACT: Dusanka Velkovska (msd@t-home.mk)

  • Seeking to organize an event on occasion of World Oral Health Day with a letter of support the the Ministry of Health of the Repbublic of Macedonia from the FDI.

 

Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists
WEBSITE: www.nil.org.pl
CONTACT: Dr Anna Lella, Vice-President of Polish Chamber of Physcians and Dentists & FDI National Liaison Officer (annalella@hipokrates.org)

  • On 17 June 2008 a seminar was organized in Warsaw by the Chamber devoted to the issues of improving oral healthcare in Poland. The seminar was an introduction of the further activities connected with the World Oral Health Day. It was attended by representatives of dental profession, Medical Universities, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Fund. The special guest was Prof. Kenneth Eaton. The seminar was also attended by a number of media representatives.
  • Information about the World Oral Health Day and related materials are on the website of the Dental Practitioners' Committee of the Chamber (www.stomatologia.nil.org.pl) and have been disseminated to the Polish dental professionals.
  • A number of articles related to the World Oral Health Day have been published in the magazine of the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists – Gazeta Lekarska. This topic was well underlined on the front page of the magazine. Gazeta Lekarska is a monthly journal published by the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists. A free copy is sent to all doctors and dentists in Poland. The readership of the journal includes other healthcare personnel, pharmacy staff, health-care administrators staff of companies in the healthcare field and future doctors, i.e. medical students. The print run is 149,500.
  • Special media announcements and programmes on the occasion of the World Oral Health Day are planned, eg. a radio interview with Prof. Maria Wierzbicka.

 

International Association of Dental Students
WEBSITE: www.iads-web.org
CONTACT: secretary@iads-web.org

  • Promotion of the World Oral Health Day among IADS members
  • Information about the World Oral Health Day and related materials available on the IADS website
  • Special announcements on the occasion of the World Oral Health Day are planned

 

Mundo a Sorrir
WEBSITE: www.mundoasorrir.org
CONTACT: geral@mundoasorrir.org / +351 220 169 882

  • The portuguese NGO "Mundo a Sorrir", is a Association of Portuguese Solidary Dentists, and will be commemorating the World Oral Health Day 2008 by visiting the Oporto State Penitentiary of Custóias. The program will have two different components: the 1st part - where some oral health knowledge will be explained and a second part - where toothbrushes and toothpastes will be distributed among the inmates.
  • The NGO "Mundo a Sorrir" was born in July 2005 to work in the oral health field, with the main objective of promoting the well-being of the most disfavored, excluded and marginalized people. The NGO aims to implement preventive, formative and care giving programs, both in and out of Portugal.

 

Dental Public Health Division of the Primary Health Department* (Malta)

  • A stand will be set up in Freedom Square, Valletta between 9am and 4pm, where we will be promoting the relationship between a healthy mouth and a healthy lifestyle to lead to an overall improvement in general health.
  • This event is being organised by the Dental Public Health Division of the Primary Health Department with the collaboration of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the University of Malta, the Health Promotion Department with the aid of Colgate, Crest, Laboratorios Kin, Oral-B and Sensodyne.
     

*Not members of the FDI World Dental Federation

 

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