South Africa is facing an oral health crisis with millions of people suffering from tooth decay, severe gum disease, tooth loss and oral cancer, a new global report has revealed. 

According to the inaugural report on the global oral disease burden from the World Health Organisation (WHO), South African children are at greatest risk of oral health challenges with 41% of children aged one to nine years with untreated tooth decay. At least 28% of children aged five years and over experienced untreated tooth decay in deciduous and permanent teeth respectively, while nearly 25% of those aged 15 years and above experienced severe gum disease in 2019. 

The report, released ahead of World Oral Health Day on Monday, shows that about 3.5 billion people, out of about 8 billion people across the globe, are affected by oral disease. The number of those with oral health problems equates to about 1 billion more cases than all five major non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and mental disorders put together.  

The report also shows that around 75% of people suffering from oral diseases live in low- and middle-income countries. Statistics also show that South Africa had about 1,933 new cases of lip and oral cavity cancer in 2020. 

After the latest data, the World Dental Federation (FDI), which represents more than 1 million dentists worldwide, has called on urgent action against oral disease, and said governments must ensure those with oral health disease have access to treatment. 

“Oral diseases are among the biggest challenges in global health today and mainly impact the most disadvantaged people in society,” said Dr Khanyi Makwakwa, the South African Dental Association’s (SADA) and FDI national liaison officer.  

“When people have access to prevention and treatment for oral diseases, it can unlock enormous health and economic benefits for their lives and society more broadly.” 

Makwakwa said despite most oral diseases being preventable and treatable with cost-effective interventions, few people globally are able to access oral health services for a number of reasons, including cost and the availability of trained professionals. 

 In South Africa, there were 1.1 dentists per 10,000 people in 2019, below the global average of 3.28 per 10,000. 

Not only are sufferers of oral diseases subjected to pain, but often their overall health is compromised, including their mental health. “Good oral health is central to breathing, eating, and speaking, and contributes to a person’s overall physical and mental wellbeing. When oral disease is left untreated, it can severely impact a person’s health and social prospects.” 

Sufferers are at risk of continued pain and the development of secondary diseases, social isolation, exclusion from the workforce and reduced educational performance. 

This year, the 76th session of the World Health Assembly WHO, which is to be held in May, is set to adopt the global oral health action plan (2023-2030), which calls on governments to ensure that “80% of the global population is entitled to essential oral health care services”. 

This would be achieved through, among other measures, countries prioritising the integration of oral health into their national health services and ensuring there are enough trained dental health professionals. The issue of oral health is set to be discussed again in September this year when countries convene at the UN high-level meeting on universal health care to discuss how to strengthen the process towards achieving health for all.

TimesLIVE