GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – World Oral Health Day (WOHD) 2022 this year will fall on Sunday, 20 March under the theme: “Be Proud of Your Mouth.”
The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department within the ministry, will commence with awareness activities in observance of the global day from March 19 to 25.
WOHD Organizing Committee members are Irma Knight Gumbs, Coordinator; Edward de Cuba, Mirna Sprott, Dr. Daphne Illis, Swinda Richardson, and Elcita Atkins.
Oral health is important for overall health, and prevention, early detection and treatment of oral diseases is important to stop any negative effects on the rest of the body.
Oral health means the health of the mouth. A healthy mouth allows you to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow and convey a range of emotions with confidence and without pain, discomfort and disease. No matter what your age – 5, 25, 65 or 85 years – oral health is vital to your general health and well-being.
Oral diseases are the most common noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and affect people throughout their lifetime, causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement and even death.
Behavioral risk factors for oral diseases are shared with other major NCDs, such as an unhealthy diet high in free sugars, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.
WOHD is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues surrounding oral health and the importance of oral hygiene.
To reduce oral diseases, it is up to you to take preventative measures.
Twice-daily tooth brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste (1000 to 1500 ppm) should be encouraged. Long-term exposure to an optimal level of fluoride results in substantially lower incidence and prevalence of tooth decay across all ages.
Eat a well-balanced diet low in sugar; eat adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables which may have a protective role in oral cancer prevention; and reduce smoking and alcohol consumption.
