Dental caries is the world’s most prevalent non-communicable disease. Caries and cavities affect sufferers right across the life course, and globally are responsible for the largest burden of all diseases. It is a chronic disease, which afflicts people of all ages and backgrounds, and follows sufferers throughout the life-course. It is estimated that more than 2.3 billion people globally suffer from caries of permanent teeth, with a further 530 million children suffering from caries of primary teeth.
Despite the accepted scientific evidence that caries create very significant personal, societal, and economic burdens across the world and that caries presents the largest numerical impact across oral health, the disease has typically been invisible in “upstream” global health policies. This situation is paradoxical, as the burdens and pain caused by caries and cavities are preventable, and addressing the risk factors for cavities can also reduce other NCDs and improve general health.
The ACFF Making Cavities History Taskforce has brought together world-leading experts to create consensus over a set of recommendations for policy makers to ensure that caries and cavities are built into health policy discussions.
The authors, Professor Nigel Pitts and Catherine Mayne, strongly believe that if a concerted, global effort is made, dental caries can be stopped in its tracks, and we call upon policymakers to consider these recommendations so that we might feasibly create a future free from dental cavities.
The full report is available online at https://www.acffglobal.org/making-cavities-history/
WFPHA endorses the ACFF Global Consensus for Achieving a Cavity-Free Future Report.
