World Oral Health Day is one of the important days connecting with health, observed every year on March 20th. Based on a report from the WHO Global Oral Health, it was estimated that worldwide, around every 3 out of 4 people are suffering from caries of permanent teeth. In contrast, 514 million children suffer from caries of primary teeth.
World Oral Health Day Significance
With the changing lifestyles and food habits, there are so many chances that cavities are affecting the teeth. Once the teeth are affected, it automatically leads to other health issues. Irrespective of age group, we hear so many oral problems among people, and people are approaching dentists for many reasons. Therefore, World Oral Health Day is an important day to bring awareness among people to understand the importance of oral health and the habits one has to develop oral health.
World Oral Health Day 2023 Theme
The World Oral Health Day 2023 Theme is “Be proud of your mouth”. It means that we should never take our dental health for granted. We must cultivate the habits of brushing on time and regular checkups of our teeth. If the teeth are stronger from the inside, we can be stronger outside. If oral health problems are identified in the early stages, then they can be easily treated.
World Oral Health Day Speech
During the World Oral Health Day speech, all the essential points related to teeth should be covered, and everyone should be educated about this. I am sharing some information here that I know about; you, too, can share your knowledge so that we can help many people around us. So, let us talk on this day and share information on social media and with our family and friends.
The most commonly seen Dental Problems:
1. Dental Caries
The Dental Caries in our everyday language are called Tooth Decay. Tooth decay happens as a result of the plaque that is present on the surface of the tooth. This is caused due to the sugar that we intake, and the sugar can be from fruit juices, chocolates, teas, coffees etc., added sugar by the manufacturer or in any form of the sugar. If we don’t brush our teeth properly, these sugars are converted into acids, and tooth decay occurs over time. If timely action is not taken, it may cause more pain and infection, leading to tooth loss. This disease is mostly seen in kids since they don’t brush on time, and sometimes they don’t brush properly.
2. Periodontal Disease
In our everyday language, we call it Gum Disease. This gum disease affects the tissues that support the teeth and also that surround the teeth. The disease is characterized by bad breath, bleeding, severe pain or swollen gums. In the most severe cases, the gums disappear, and the tooth falls. We see this disease mostly in adults. It is caused because of taking tobacco or poor oral hygiene.
3. Edentulism
It is called total tooth loss in our everyday language. Tooth loss can lead to Trauma in a person’s life. They cannot chew or eat their favourite food. If there are no teeth, that would also affect the external looks of a person. So, better late than never, one should realize this.
4. Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is mainly caused due to consumption of tobacco and alcohol. It was recently known in a research report that Oral cancer is the 13th most common cancer that people are suffering from in the entire world. Pathetically young people also have this cancer due to excess alcohol consumption.
5. Oro-dental Trauma
This Trauma is caused by an injury to the mouth, teeth, and oral cavity. This can be seen mostly among children who have accidents caused in playgrounds while playing, lack of alignment of teeth and sometimes hit by other children.
6. Noma
This is a severe disease seen among children aged between 2 and 6 years. This disease is mainly caused due to malnutrition, weakened immune systems, poor oral health or extreme poverty. Children suffering from this disease cannot speak well and will also have difficulty taking their food. Their face also would look disfigured over a period of time. These kids should be undergoing surgeries and also rehabilitation.
7. Cleft Lip and Palate
It is the most common congenital disability. This can be caused due to poor maternal nutrition and if a mother consumes tobacco or alcohol during pregnancy. This can be treated by surgery and needs complete rehabilitation.
In most cases, it was observed that high consumption of artificial sugars, tobacco, and improper oral care are the causes of most oral problems.
World Oral Health Day Activities
- Parents should monitor the kids at home when they brush.
- Parents should ensure the kids brush both in the mornings and nights before they sleep.
- There should be certain activities in schools and colleges, like dental checkups.
- Guest lectures can be conducted by inviting famous dentists and educating the students about the importance of oral health.
- A proper chart should be maintained in schools and at home so that the kids can understand the things related to their teeth.
- Important posts about teeth and oral health should be shared on social media and other platforms so that more people can learn about them.
- An activity can be conducted with artificially made teeth and show people how teeth can get affected.
- People should be educated that oral health affects a person’s overall health.
- The companies manufacturing toothpaste and toothbrushes should also be given a demo of what advancements or improvements they should make in their products.
- Let us teach our kids and follow ourselves by avoiding outside food as much as possible, where homemade food is good for teeth and overall health.
- Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly before consumption so that those chemicals won’t affect our teeth.
- Videos and PowerPoint presentations can be shown in workshops and conferences so that people can understand the concept of oral health in a better way.
