In a speech delivered September 19 in New York, Tanzanian President H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete urged the United Nations (U.N.) Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to address the challenge of oral health as a priority on the agenda.
"Oral diseases are often overlooked among NCDs by the international community, and it is a health area that we cannot afford to ignore and that is largely preventable," the president said. "I implore my fellow heads of state and governments to include oral health among the NCDs and for health ministries to become more engaged. We must have a shared sense of moral duty to make proper oral health a priority."
The president spoke to an audience of 100 dental health experts and leaders, as well as high-level representatives from the diplomatic community, at a symposium entitled Putting Teeth Into NCDs, held at the New York University College of Dentistry.
The symposium was sponsored by the government of the Tanzania and cosponsored by the governments of Australia and Sweden. Support was also provided by the ADA, Colgate-Palmolive, and Henry Schein Cares.
In addition to President Kikwete's keynote address, the event included remarks by Ray Williams, DMD, dean of the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, who spoke about the connection between common risk factors of NCDs and oral diseases. He also emphasized the need to treat a person's general state of health as a whole, by including oral health.
Habib Benzian, CEO for Fit for School International and a senior advisor to the FDI World Dental Federation, spoke about the current realities and challenges of oral diseases around the world, noting that "there is not a significant difference between high-income and low-income countries in terms of the prevalence of oral diseases."
Helen Clark, administrator of the U.N. Development Program and former prime minister of New Zealand, spoke about the importance of linking oral diseases to the NCDs and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
"This is about smart, cost-effective policy choices, regardless of a country's economic status," she stated.
