2019: Act on Mouth Health

The FDI World Dental Federation set up the first World Oral Health Day in 2007, which is now celebrated each year on 20^thMarch. This year the theme is Act on Mouth Health.

The FDIs main message is that oral diseases, such as tooth decay and gum disease, are widespread and preventable. Through proper self-care, regular dental check-ups and managing risk factors, good oral health and general health can be secured.

Why is World Oral Health Day on 20th March?

The date of 20^thMarch was chosen for a number of reasons:

• Elderly adults must have a total of 20 natural teeth at the end of their life to be considered healthy
• Children should possess 20 baby teeth
• Healthy adults ideally have a total of 32 teeth and 0 dental cavities
• Expressed on a numerical basis this can be translated as 3/20 hence March 20

Events

The FDI encourages people to post events they are holding for World Oral Health Day on their website worldoralhealthday.org This is a great opportunity for people and organisation to get creative and so far ranges from celebrations in Indonesia that include brushing demonstrations for up to 50,000 students to a challenge to ‘Take a selfie with attitude’ having first used a bamboo toothbrush in Amsterdam. Their focus is ‘cleaner oceans, brighter smiles’ cleverly aimed to appeal to today’s selfie generation.

Get Involved

There are several ways to become involved in the day: either because you’re a dental health professional and passionate about what you do or because you’re a student wanting to make a difference or just because you want to spread the word. This provides ideas on how to share on social media or how to spread the news of an event. See this link for further information: http://www.worldoralhealthday.org/get-involved

Every parent’s checklist

Their website also includes 10 Q&As every parent should know, a checklist to ensure good oral care for children. This imparts fundamental advice in response to questions such as ‘Do you know when you should start an oral care routine for your child?’ and ‘Do you know how much toothpaste your child should use?’ The answers to these and other questions crucial to starting your children’s oral health journey as positively as possible can be found at checklists-children