Black day as five billion have bad teeth

Five billion people worldwide suffer from tooth decay, many of them because they fail to realise that caring for your mouth can lead to a longer, better life, the UN health agency said today.

“Poor oral health can have a profound effect on general health and the quality of life,” said Dr Poul Erik Petersen, co-ordinator of WHO’s Global Oral Health Programme in Geneva.

“The experience of pain, endurance or dental abscesses, problems with eating, chewing and missing, discoloured or damaged teeth, has a major impact on people’s daily lives and well being.”

Tooth decay, gum disease as well as oral and throat cancers are a global health problem in industrialised and increasingly in developing countries, the WHO warned in a report to promote the agency’s revamped campaign for better oral care.

The agency added that the loss of teeth usually leads to malnutrition – with people being unable to chew many foods vital to their health – and subsequently a host of other problems.

“Worldwide, losing teeth is seen as a natural consequence of ageing, but in fact it is preventable,” said Dr Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO’s Assistant Director General of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health.

“There is a perception that dental caries is no longer a problem in the developed world, but it affects 60-90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults,” Le Gales-Camus said.

Studies show that smoking is a key factor for gum disease in industrialised countries.

WHO was also concerned about a sharp increase of oral and throat cancers reported in several countries, including Scotland.

Petersen said this was likely because those populations tend to consume more alcohol and there is an amplifying effect between liquor and tobacco, increasing the risk of oral cancer.