NYU College of Dentistry’s World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center, together with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health, will host a virtual event on Wednesday, May 26, 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 will bring together ministers of health from all 194 WHO member states.
In January 2021, the WHO adopted a resolution on oral health calling for the development of a global oral health strategy, action plan, and monitoring framework in order 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, co-director 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. This side event will explore the urgent need for impactful action on oral health through policies and health systems, globally and within countries.
The event 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. They will discuss the state of health worldwide, policy pathways towards oral health for all, and turning policy into action to improve oral health by 2030.
The event will take place on May 26 from 11:30-13:00 EDT (New York); 17:30-19:00 CET (Geneva); or 21:00–22:30 IST (Colombo). For a schedule of the event and to register, please visit the event’s website. A link to the Zoom webinar will be provided after registration. Reporters interested in attending should contact rachel.harrison@nyu.edu.
About NYU College of Dentistry
Founded in 1865, NYU Dentistry is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of all of our nation’s dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. It is the home of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Quality-improvement, Evidence-based Dentistry. WHO Collaborating Centers are designated by the Director-General of WHO as part of an inter-institutional collaborative network of centers worldwide. For more, visit: https://dental.nyu.edu/
