Geneva, 20 March 2015 – Today is World Oral Health Day and countries worldwide are celebrating lifelong oral health with a ‘Smile for life’.
Some 95 countries, 65 National Dental Associations, 30 Student Dental Associations as well as the World Oral Health Day Partners are working hard, holding fun, hands-on and informative events to raise awareness of the fact that oral health is a serious issue with far-reaching consequences.
With a focus on achieving the greatest impact, this year’s planned activities include: the Dentolympics (oral health games for children) in Bolivia; a flash mob organised by dental students in Italy; free oral health assessments for over one thousand students in Kenya; and a marathon for dental professionals in front of the pyramids in Egypt.
In addition, the ‘Smile for life’ message will be broadcast to the world via the giant NASDAQ screen in Times Square, New York City, with a display collage of some of the WOHD 2015 customised posters!
Globally, oral disease affects most adults and as many as 90% of schoolchildren. Oral diseases are a significant burden on overall health, with the greatest burden falling on disadvantaged and poor populations. The principal problems are: dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer.
FDI President Dr Tin Chun Wong will today be speaking at WOHD event organized by the Indonesian Dental Association (Persatuan Dokter Gigi Indonesia (PDGI)) and Unilever.
She said: ‘I would like to take the opportunity to thank all National Dental Associations, dental students and other partners for working so hard to get the “Smile for life” message across by joining in the celebrations and organising their own local, regional or national awareness raising event.
‘Prevention is better than cure” is an old saying; let’s bring it up-to-date today on World Oral Health Day 2015 to help in the fight for a “Smile for life” for everyone, no matter where they live.’
This year’s WOHD celebrations have been championed by four global partners that have provided support around the world to ensure that the activities organised are a success.
In recognition of this, Dr Tin Chun Wong commented: ‘Listerine, Unilever, Henry Schein and the Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program have provided unrivalled support to make WOHD 2015 the largest celebration so far in terms of countries and associations participating, and we thank them for their continued support.’
About FDI
FDI World Dental Federation serves as the principal representative body for more than 1 million dentists worldwide, developing health policy and continuing education programmes, speaking as a unified voice for dentistry in international advocacy, and supporting member associations in global oral health promotion activities. FDI is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and is a member of the World Health Professionals Alliance (WHPA).
For more information, visit: www.fdiworldental.org.
About World Oral Health Day
World Oral Health Day is celebrated every year on 20th March. The theme of World Oral Health Day 2015 is ‘Smile for life’. It reflects the major contribution oral health makes to our lives. Around the world, FDI member dental associations, schools, companies and other groups will celebrate the day with events organized under this single, unifying and simple message.
For more information, visit: www.worldoralhealthday.org.
World Oral Health Day 2015 partners
LISTERINE® brand Mouthwash, part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies
As the world’s number one daily mouth rinse, LISTERINE Mouthwash has been used by more than one billion people in more than 85 countries. Professional dental organizations around the world have awarded LISTERINE Mouthwash with their seals of acceptance.
LISTERINE is distributed by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., a part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, which is the world’s sixth-largest consumer health company and is a segment of Johnson & Johnson, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products.
Unilever
Unilever Oral Care is a leading global manufacturer of oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash, represented by brands including Signal, Pepsodent, Close Up, Mentadent, Aim, P/S and Zhong Hua. Unilever recognizes that good oral health and the sense of well-being and confidence it brings, is a vital element to making people look good, feel good and get more out of life and that small every day actions, such as twice daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, add up to make a big difference for the world. Through its science, products, partnerships and international network, Unilever Oral Care is privileged with the power to make a sustainable and measurable improvement to oral health around the world.
Henry Schein
Henry Schein, Inc. is the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners. A Fortune 500®[1] Company and a member of the NASDAQ 100®[2] Index (NASDAQ Ticker: HSIC), Henry Schein employs more than 17,500 Team Schein Members and serves more than 800,000 customers. Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein has operations or affiliates in 28 countries. Through Henry Schein Cares, the Company’s global corporate social responsibility program, Henry Schein helps expand access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.
Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program (WOHP)
WOHP partners with dental professionals worldwide, helping them improve their patients’ oral health through one extra simple and enjoyable step in their daily routine: chewing sugarfree gum after eating and drinking on-the-go. WOHP supports independent clinical research into the benefits of chewing gum, including saliva stimulation, plaque acid neutralization and tooth strengthening. For more information, visit: www.wrigleyoralcare.com.
[1] The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies incur. The list includes publicly and privately held companies for which revenues are publicly available. The first Fortune 500 list was published in 1955.
[2] The NASDAQ Stock Market, commonly known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. NASDAQ originally stood for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. It is the second-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, after the New York Stock Exchange. The exchange platform is owned by NASDAQ OMX Group, which also owns the OMX stock market network.
