- All topics
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- Resources
- Fact sheets
- Facts in pictures
- Multimedia
- Podcasts
- Publications
- Questions and answers
- Tools and toolkits
- Popular
- Dengue
- Endometriosis
- Excessive heat
- Herpes
- Mental disorders
- Mpox
- All countries
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
- Regions
- Africa
- Americas
- Europe
- Eastern Mediterranean
- South-East Asia
- Western Pacific
- WHO in countries
- Data by country
- Country presence
- Country strengthening
- Country cooperation strategies
- All news
- News releases
- Statements
- Campaigns
- Events
- Feature stories
- Press conferences
- Speeches
- Commentaries
- Photo library
- Headlines
- Focus on
- Cholera
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
- Greater Horn of Africa
- Israel and occupied Palestinian territory
- Mpox
- Sudan
- Ukraine
- Latest
- Disease Outbreak News
- Situation reports
- Weekly Epidemiological Record
- WHO in emergencies
- Surveillance
- Operations
- Research
- Funding
- Partners
- Health emergency appeal
- International Health Regulations
- Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee
- Dashboards
- Triple Billion Progress
- Health Inequality Monitor
- Delivery for impact
- COVID-19 dashboard
- Data collection
- Classifications
- SCORE
- Surveys
- Civil registration and vital statistics
- Routine health information systems
- Harmonized health facility assessment
- GIS centre for health
- Reports
- World Health Statistics
- UHC global monitoring report
- About WHO
- Partnerships
- Committees and advisory groups
- Collaborating centres
- Technical teams
- Organizational structure
- Who we are
- Our work
- Activities
- Initiatives
- General Programme of Work
- WHO Academy
- Funding
- Investment in WHO
- WHO Foundation
- Accountability
- External audit
- Financial statements
- Internal audit and investigations
- Programme Budget
- Results reports
- Governance
- Governing bodies
- World Health Assembly
- Executive Board
- Member States Portal
26 May 2024
Departmental update
Reading time:
Member States have demonstrated their commitment to improving oral health in recent years by adopting the landmarkResolution on oral healthin 2021 and theGlobal strategy on oral healthin 2022. This was followed in 2023 by the development of theGlobal oral health action plan 2023–2030, which translates the vision, goal, and strategic objectives of the global strategy into a series of 100 actions for stronger and more coordinated action on oral health. The action plan also includes a set of 11 global targets to track progress on oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, highlighted in the document’s foreword that “Member States have demonstrated their commitment to improving oral health in recent years by adopting the landmark Resolution on oral health in 2021 and the Global strategy on oral health in 2022. This was followed in 2023 by the development of the Global oral health action plan 2023–2030, which translates the vision, goal, and strategic objectives of the global strategy into a series of 100 actions for stronger and more coordinated action on oral health. The action plan also includes a set of 11 global targets to track progress on oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030.”
Oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people. The burden is increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Good oral health is essential for eating, breathing, and speaking, and contributes to overall health. The pain and discomfort associated with oral diseases make concentrating difficult, can cause people to miss school or work, and can lead to social isolation. Left untreated, the health-related impact of oral diseases can be severe. However, many oral diseases are largely preventable and can be treated using simple and non-invasive procedures at the primary health care level
Dr Tedros added, “WHO supports Member States in the implementation of these policies, within their own national context. Together, we can reverse the pattern of neglect in oral health, improve coverage and access around the world, and make sure that everybody gets the care they need for preventable and treatable oral diseases. There is no health without oral health.”
","datePublished":"2024-05-26T07:00:00.0000000+00:00","image":"https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/health-topics/oral-health/global-strategy-and-action-plan-on-oral-health-thumbnail.jpg?sfvrsn=fe60955a_4","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"World Health Organization: WHO","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg","width":250,"height":60}},"dateModified":"2024-05-26T07:00:00.0000000+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.who.int/news/item/26-05-2024-who-releases-global-strategy-and-action-plan-on-oral-health","@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle"};
A new document, Global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023–2030, has been released by the World Health Organization (WHO) containing the complete set of policies that define WHO’s global oral health agenda towards 2030. Together, these policy documents lay out the path to tackle the challenges faced by communities worldwide and make the case for strengthening integration of oral health into noncommunicable disease and universal health coverage benefit packages.
The Action Plan is a practical tool to support Member States in the adaptation and implementation of global oral health policies to national contexts. It outlines a set of priority actions for Member States, the WHO Secretariat, international partners, civil society organizations and the private sector in moving towards our shared commitment to equitable access to oral health for all.
Member States have demonstrated their commitment to improving oral health in recent years by adopting the landmarkResolution on oral healthin 2021 and theGlobal strategy on oral healthin 2022. This was followed in 2023 by the development of theGlobal oral health action plan 2023–2030, which translates the vision, goal, and strategic objectives of the global strategy into a series of 100 actions for stronger and more coordinated action on oral health. The action plan also includes a set of 11 global targets to track progress on oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, highlighted in the document’s foreword that “Member States have demonstrated their commitment to improving oral health in recent years by adopting the landmark Resolution on oral health in 2021 and the Global strategy on oral health in 2022. This was followed in 2023 by the development of the Global oral health action plan 2023–2030, which translates the vision, goal, and strategic objectives of the global strategy into a series of 100 actions for stronger and more coordinated action on oral health. The action plan also includes a set of 11 global targets to track progress on oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030.”
Oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people. The burden is increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Good oral health is essential for eating, breathing, and speaking, and contributes to overall health. The pain and discomfort associated with oral diseases make concentrating difficult, can cause people to miss school or work, and can lead to social isolation. Left untreated, the health-related impact of oral diseases can be severe. However, many oral diseases are largely preventable and can be treated using simple and non-invasive procedures at the primary health care level
Dr Tedros added, “WHO supports Member States in the implementation of these policies, within their own national context. Together, we can reverse the pattern of neglect in oral health, improve coverage and access around the world, and make sure that everybody gets the care they need for preventable and treatable oral diseases. There is no health without oral health.”
Related
Global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023–2030 (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish)
Oral health topic page
More on WHO's work in oral health
Fact sheets