The New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center will host a virtual event on Wednesday, May 26 at 11:30 am ET with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health on integrating oral health and global health.
The meeting will take place on the occasion of the 74th World Health Assembly of the WHO, which will convene virtually from May 24 through June 1 and bring together ministers of health from all 194 WHO member states.
In January 2021, the WHO adopted a resolution on oral health called for a global oral health strategy, action plan, and monitoring framework to integrate oral health with universal health coverage and the global agenda for noncommunicable diseases by 2030.
The endorsement of the resolution is on the agenda of the 74th World Health Assembly, an annual meeting of the WHO’s decision-making body to establish its priorities and policies.
“Oral health has long been too low on the list of global health priorities. This is why governments, through the resolution, are now asking for change,” said Habib Benzian, codirector of the WHO Collaborating Center for Quality Improvement and Evidence-based Dentistry at NYU Dentistry.
Almost half of the world’s population suffers from one or several oral diseases, many of which are preventable but have a serious impact on individuals, health systems, and economies, NYU Dentistry said.
This side event will explore the urgent need for impactful action on oral health through policies and health systems, globally and within countries, NYU Dentistry said.
It will include speakers and panelists from the WHO, NYU Dentistry, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health, and additional high-level member state representatives from ministries of health in Denmark, Japan, Kenya, and Thailand.
The event will discuss the state of health worldwide, policy pathways toward oral health for all, and turning policy into action to improve oral health by 2030.
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