As a nod to the growing attention being paid to oral health worldwide, the ADA and the FDI World Dental Federation have declared September 12 World Oral Health Day.
World Oral Health Day will aim to increase awareness for oral health and the impact of oral diseases on overall health, according to an ADA press release.
"The American Dental Association is pleased to stand with the FDI and other national dental associations around the world to emphasize how crucial good oral health is to overall health," said Dr. Mark J. Feldman, ADA president. "We also want to help increase global awareness about proven preventive measures, including oral health education, that can help reduce dental disease and suffering."
The date was chosen to honor FDI founder Dr. Charles Godon, born September 12, 1854, and celebrate the anniversary of the World Health Organization's International Conference on Primary Health Care, held at Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, on the same date in 1978.
