As the curtain comes down on one of the most successful World Oral Health Day (WOHD) campaign cycles, a new chapter is about to begin. At this year's World Dental Congress (WDC) in Prague, Czech Republic, FDI World Dental Federation will officially unveil the next three-year WOHD campaign — a moment that marks both a celebration of what has been achieved and the start of an ambitious new movement for global oral health.

Three Years, One Mission

First launched at WDC in Sydney in 2023, the "A Happy Mouth Is…" campaign set out to make oral health relatable, urgent, and impossible to ignore. Over three successive themes, it explored the profound connections between oral health and quality of life.

"A Happy Mouth Is a Happy Body" (2024) shone a light on the links between oral and general health: from the relationship between gum disease and cardiovascular disease, to the connections between oral conditions and diabetes. 

"A Happy Mouth Is a Happy Mind" (2025) turned attention to mental well-being, exploring how pain, tooth loss, and dental problems can shape self-esteem, confidence, and quality of life. 

And "A Happy Mouth Is a Happy Life" (2026) brought the threads together, championing oral health at every age and stage of life, with the message that a healthy mouth is the gateway to living life to the fullest.

Each year built on the last — in ambition, in reach, and in impact.

The Numbers Tell the Story

The results across the three-year cycle were remarkable. Around 220 territories participated, meaning action was taken in virtually every country in the world, with over 1,500 activities reported globally. Online, the campaign generated more than 1.19-million-page views and nearly 105 million content views between 2024 and 2026.

Downloads of campaign resources grew steadily year on year — from 40,330 in 2024, to 55,000 in 2025, to 79,000 in 2026, representing a 43% increase in the final year alone. 

Social media reach expanded similarly, with hashtag reach climbing to 1.25 billion in 2026 and engagement levels consistently outperforming industry benchmarks, with the 2026 campaign achieving an overall 15% engagement rate against a typical benchmark of 1–5% for health communications campaigns of a similar scale.

Central to the campaign's creative success was Toothie, FDI's beaver mascot, who starred in a movie-inspired trilogy across all three years, accompanied by original anthems that spread widely online. Toothie's own Instagram following grew by over 3,600 in under three months during the 2026 campaign alone, bringing the total to 6,423 followers.

The campaign also drew sustained support from the World Health Organization (WHO), which amplified WOHD messaging across headquarters, regional offices, and country accounts each year. 

Why It Matters

The scale of this campaign reflects the scale of the need. Nearly 3.7 billion people worldwide are affected by oral diseases, making them among the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) on the planet. Yet oral health remains chronically underfunded and underrepresented in global health agendas.

The policy landscape has shifted considerably over the past three years. The WHO Oral Health Resolution, adopted in 2021, was followed by the Global Oral Health Action Plan 2023–2030. In December 2025, the United Nations Political Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health marked a landmark moment: the first-time oral diseases had been formally integrated into the NCD agenda. WOHD has served as a key platform for sustaining and amplifying this momentum — translating global commitments into action at national and local levels.

What Comes Next

The Prague launch represents far more than the reveal of a new theme. It signals a new phase in FDI's ambition for World Oral Health Day.

The incoming 2027–2029 campaign will adopt a different narrative structure from its predecessor. Rather than building progressively across the oral-systemic, oral-mental health, and life-course dimensions that defined "A Happy Mouth Is…", the new campaign will take a bolder and more distinctive storytelling approach — one designed to create a genuine movement for lifelong oral health.

"We want to create a movement for lifelong oral health," says Dr Anna Lella, WOHD Working Group Chair — one that brings together the public, dental professionals, wider healthcare providers, governments, National Dental Associations, and partners around a single shared goal: oral health at the centre of global health priorities.

At the WDC launch session, attendees will be among the first to hear the new campaign theme, gain insight into its objectives and strategy, and learn how to engage with the full suite of freely available resources designed to support participation at every level. The session will also feature the announcement of the 2026 WOHD Award winners.

For more information about World Oral Health Day and the 2027 campaign, visit wohd.org. For details about the World Dental Congress in Prague, visit 2026.world-dental-congress.org.