World Oral Health Day, marked annually on 20 March, draws attention to oral health being a key indicator of overall health, well-being and quality of life. Oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people.
The World Health Organization is calling on the countries of the South-East Asia Region and partners for accelerated action, reiterating the commitments of the Bangkok Declaration “No Health Without Oral Health”, adopted at the WHO Global Oral Health Meeting in November 2024.
Oral diseases and conditions cause physical symptoms, functional limitations, and a detrimental impact on emotional, mental and social well-being. Among the six WHO regions, South-East Asia reports the highest number – approximately 900 million cases of oral diseases and conditions – reflecting the region’s large population. Our region also has the highest burden of oral cancer among all WHO regions. This is the leading cancer among males in the region, accounting for 11.2% of all cases.
South-East Asia is also home to countries which are major consumers of proven carcinogens causing oral cancer, such as smokeless tobacco or areca nut. A recent analysis revealed that one in two cases of oral cancer in our region is attributable to smokeless tobacco or areca nut consumption. This essentially indicates the number of cases that could be prevented if smokeless tobacco or areca nut consumption were eliminated from the population, emphasizing the potential impact of primary prevention.
Against this backdrop of high burden of oral diseases and conditions, I reaffirm our commitment to provide actionable guidance and technical support to all countries to implement the WHO South-East Asia Regional Action Plan for Oral Health 2023-2030, and to steer the region towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030.
The first ever Global Oral Health Meeting, held in Bangkok in November 2024, was a valuable platform for Members States to share knowledge and to learn from experiences of other countries. The National Oral Health Roadmaps formulated at the meeting are strategic planning tools to guide countries in translating their identified priorities into actionable steps in the coming years.
Responding the request of the Member States to WHO for technical support to address the high burden of oral cancer attributable to smokeless tobacco and areca nut consumption, WHO is in the process of formulating a WHO South-East Asia regional roadmap to address the burden of oral cancer. The aim of this tool is to guide Member States in regionally relevant strategies to address the burden of oral cancer and other health outcomes.
While pledging the continued technical support of WHO, I urge all oral health stakeholders to leverage the guidance in accelerating progress towards universal oral health by 2030 in the region.As we are reminded on World Oral Health Day 2025, “ A Happy Mouth is a Happy Mind.”
