Beyond a healthy smile: caring for your mouth is caring for your welfare
This new video series highlights how lack of access to dental services during COVID-19 lockdowns has impacted the oral health and well-being of people two years down the line.
Two years after the first lockdowns, and as the world slowly returns to pre-COVID-19 times, FDI sat down with dentists from around the world to understand the long-term impact of the pandemic on dentistry as well as the oral health of people everywhere. Through this World Oral Health Day (WOHD) video series, attention is called to the important connections between oral health and good quality of life.
Because good oral health gives you more than just a healthy smile
It is undeniable that access to dental services, including regular check-ups were among the most disrupted essential health services during the COVID-19 lockdowns. People´s reticence to visit a dentist in normal times was exacerbated by fear of venturing into an open clinic or simply not being able to, due to restrictions. Dental hesitancy has always been around but over two years into the pandemic, it´s now a lot worse. This video series highlights how dental services were impacted and how strategies were put into place to give people the confidence to return to the clinics for preventive care as well as any necessary treatment to help protect their oral health and general health and well-being.
The series features prominent members of FDI’s leadership including the President Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya (Morocco), President-elect Dr Greg Chadwick (USA), Council member Dr Maria Fernanda Atuesta Mondragon (Colombia) and Chair of the Public Health Committee Assoc. Prof. Elham Kateeb
(State of Palestine).
The launch of the ‘Beyond a healthy smile’ video series coincided with WHO’s 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75), where a new global oral health strategy was approved, which recognized that:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on public health programmes and the provision of essential oral health care in most countries, leading to delays in oral health care treatment, increased use of antibiotic prescriptions and greater oral health inequalities. The pandemic should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen the integration of oral health care into general health care systems as part of UHC efforts.”
We encourage you to watch the ‘Beyond a Healthy Smile’ videos here. Don’t forget to share them among your networks to spread the WOHD22 message, which is to Be Proud of your mouth for your happiness and well-being.
About the interviewees
Prof. Ben Yahya, FDI President; Dean of the Dental Faculty at the Medicine University Mohammed VI of Health Sciences in Casablanca, Morocco.
Dr Maria Fernanda Atuesta, is FDI Council member, WOHD Task Team member and President of the Colombian Dental Federation
Voices from United States of America
Dr Greg Chadwick is FDI-president elect and Council member; Dean of the ECU School of Dental Medicine.
Assoc. Prof. Elham Kateeb, FDI Chair of the Public Health Committee; WOHD Task Team member and Associate Professor, Al-Quds University.