/ Commonwealth Dental Association
Working for Oral Health in the Commonwealth

Any reply to:

Ms Ulrike Matthesius

Commonwealth Dental Association

64 Wimpole Street

London W1G 8YS

Email:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 4133

Fax: +44 (0)20 7563 4577

Dr Margaret Chan

Director General

World Health Organization

Avenue Appia 20

1211 Geneva 27

Switzerland

14 November 2012

Dear Dr Chan

We are writing with regard to the WHO General Programme of Work for 2014-2019.

This letter is to draw your attention to the fact that oral health currently appears to be excluded from the proposed General Programme of Work for 2014 - 2019 despite its inclusion in last year’s political declaration on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

WHO General Programme of Work 2014-2019 (GWP12)

We are aware that you have given your continued support to the inclusion of oral health issues in general health policy.If a programme for oral health is not included in the final budget, member states are unlikely to address the global burden of oral disease and the critical relationship between oral health and heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes. Oral health must remain a clearly identified NCD priority in the GWP12 in order to achieve the objectives identified by the WHO and the member states.

It is necessary to ensure that there are key personnel trained in dental public health with global experience at the Headquarters of WHO and the regional offices. There are only three existing oral health posts for the entire U.N. System (one global head in Geneva, and dental officers in WHO-AFRO in Brazzaville, and WHO-PAHO in Washington). In light of the growing burden of oral disease and the economic burden in many countries, the presence of a dental officer in every region would greatly help to move oral health initiatives forward.

Global monitoring framework for NCDs

  • WHO Global Monitoring Framework (GMF) discussion paper (July 2012)
  • Zero Draft': WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020

We welcomed the inclusion of oral health in the UN Political Declaration on NCDs (2012) in Article 19: “Recognize that renal, oral and eye diseases pose a major health burden for many countries and that these diseases share common risk factors and can benefit from common responses to non-communicable diseases”. The UN Declarationrecognised the close links between oral diseases and other NCDs, the necessity for a common response, as well as the benefits for the population and existing health care systems if oral health is included in this global fight.

The GMF papershould be viewed in relation with other WHO commitments in particular WHA60.17 Oral health: action plan for promotion and integrated disease prevention.

We would urge theWHO to consider the following recommendations:

  1. Establish and resource a wide global monitoring framework for all NCDs sharing the four main risk factors, including oral health;
  2. Adopt a comprehensive set of bold targets to drive progress towards a reduction of the burden on NCDs, in particular focused on healthy diet and prevention for the future generations ;
  3. Strike a balance between mortality and morbidity, and targets and interventions on prevention, treatment and care;
  4. Emphasise the necessity to strengthen the health care system through inclusion of appropriate indicators and targets that relate to all NCDs, including oral diseases.

We specifically request WHO to include free sugars in the Global Voluntary Indicators and Targets. The Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases recommended that the goals for Free sugars are <10% of total calories (WHO Technical Report 916). The addition of a target on free sugars would provide an opportunity to include risk factors for unhealthy diet and obesity, as well as complement potential country level indicators with regards to oral diseases.

The WHO acknowledged that: “Oral disease, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, tooth loss, oral mucosal lesions, oropharyngeal cancers, oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS, necrotizing ulcerative stomatitis (noma), and orodental trauma, is a serious public-health problem worldwide. Its impact on individuals and communities in terms of pain and suffering, impairment of function and reduced quality of life, is considerable. Globally, the greatest burden of oral diseases lies on disadvantaged and poor populations.” (WHA60.17)

According to the WHO, oral diseases are NCDs and share common risk factors with other NCDs. This was also acknowledged by the UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases which resulted in a political declaration that included oral diseases as critical to include when tackling the common risk factors and social determinants of the global burden of illness and disability.

We hope that you will support the recognition of oral health both in the WHO Work Programme 2014-2019 and in the Global Monitoring Framework for NCDs.

Yours sincerely

Dr Bill O‘Reilly

President

Commonwealth Dental Association

cc: National dental associations in the Commonwealth
National Chief Dental Officers

The Commonwealth Dental Association

The Commonwealth Dental Association is an association of dental associations of Commonwealth countries, representing nearly half a million dentists in the Commonwealth.

The objectives of the CDA are :

  • To enhance the importance of oral health among policy makers and the need for appropriately trained oral health personnel.
  • To contribute to improved levels of oral health in all Commonwealth countries in collaboration with National Dental Associations (NDAs).
  • To assist in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, community development and equitable access to oral health care services.
  • To encourage active involvement of NDAs in activities directed towards the achievement of the MDGs.
  • To encourage NDAs to work with Governments and other partners in interventions for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.
  • To raise awareness of Oral Cancer and prevention against it.

The CDA’s full list of officers for 2012-2014 is:

  • President: Dr William O’Reilly (Australia)
  • Immediate Past President: Dr Hilary Cooray (Sri Lanka)
  • President-Elect: Dr Anthony Kravitz OBE (UK)
  • Executive Secretary: Professor Dayananda Yasasiri Samarawickrama (UK/Sri Lanka)
  • Vice President Caribbean Region: Dr Tanya Mortemore (Bahamas)
  • Vice President South East Asia Region: Dr Suresh Shanmuganathan (Sri Lanka)
  • Vice President West African Region: Dr Adeyemi Olusile (Nigeria)
  • Vice President Eastern, Central and South African Region: Dr Susan Maina (Kenya)
  • Vice President Pacific Region: Dr David Crum (New Zealand)
  • Vice President European Region: Dr Sue Greening (UK)
  • Treasurer: Dr Anthony Kravitz OBE (UK)