World in Crisis
“There is little doubt that oral health represents a
profoundly neglected global health issue. It is becoming
increasingly clear that it will require an innovative oral health
workforce team, working with public and private partners
in close collaboration with other healthcare professions,
community leaders, and caregivers, to address the crisis.”
[“Addressing the Global Oral Healthcare Crisis,” Dominick P. DePaola, DDS,
PhD, Editor-in-Chief, 2011 Colgate Oral Care Report]
Worldwide, 60-90% of school children and nearly 100% of adults
have dental cavities, which frequently lead to pain,
discomfort and more serious chronic illness.
Global leaders can no longer ignore that ours is a world in crisis
– and that the lack of oral health care is playing a greater role
than even many dental professionals anticipated. Primarily
impacted are racial or ethnic minorities, children, pregnant women,
older adults, those with special needs or chronic conditions and
those who live in rural and remote dental-access-shortage areas.
In high-income countries, where 5-10% of public health
expenditure relates to oral health, traditional dental care has become
a significant economic burden. Even in the United States, which is
better prepared to serve the oral health needs of its population,
more than 47 million Americans still live in places where access
to dental health is severely limited and a staggering 130 million
Americans have no dental insurance. Realities for developing and
underdeveloped countries are significantly grimmer, as reflected
in an April 2012 report from the World Health Organization (see
side panel).
Despite the awareness of global inequities that marginalize
underserved populations, cost and availability continue to put up
road blocks in the delivery of oral health care.
With extraordinary focus, NYU Lutheran Dental Medicine has been
long-committed to breaking barriers and delivering exceptional
oral health care to the world’s neediest citizens and its most
underserved communities.
N Y U Lu t her a n Den ta l Medicine
Postdoctoral Dental Residency Programs
2
Oral Healthcare Statistics
• Severe periodontal (gum)
disease, which may result
in tooth loss or serious
infections, is found in 15-20%
of adults worldwide ages 35
to 44 years.
• Globally, 30% of people ages
65 to 74 have no natural teeth.
• Cases of oral cancer, which
has been correlated to poor
oral hygiene and tobacco and
alcohol use, have been found
in 10 out of 100,000 patients
in most countries.
• Almost half of HIV-positive
people suffer from oral
fungal, bacterial or viral
infections.