Oral diseases in the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that oral diseases such as dental caries, the periodontitis (which affect the gums) and cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx posed a health problem everywhere in the world, in industrialized countries, increasingly, in developing countries, especially in the poorest communities.
Announcing the findings of the World report on oral health, WHO estimated five billion in the world the number of people with dental caries. "Worldwide, losing teeth is seen as a natural consequence of aging, while it is in fact preventable," said Dr Catherine Le Gales-Camus, Assistant Director-General of WHO, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. "It is believed that dental caries is no longer a problem in developed countries when it reaches 60 to 90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. Tooth decay is the oral disease most common in several countries in Asia and Latin America. "
The effects of oral diseases - pain, suffering, dysfunction and reduced quality of life - are numerous and costly. The treatment would be 5 to 10% of health spending in industrialized countries and is beyond the reach of many developing countries.
If tooth decay appeared to be a less serious problem in most African countries, the report believes that with the changing conditions of life, its impact is expected to increase in many developing countries in Africa, particularly Because of the growing consumption of sugars and inadequate exposure to fluorides.
"In many developing countries, access to oral health care is limited and teeth are not always treated or extracted," said Dr. Poul Erik Petersen, coordinator of the WHO Global Oral Health . "In Africa, the number of dentists per capita is around 150 000 to 1 against 1 for 2000 in most industrialized countries. And if, in developed countries, limited progress has been made of the young, tooth decay remains a major cause of morbidity and pain for many seniors. "


Overall, most children show signs of gingivitis (bleeding gums) and among adults, we look at the early stages of periodontal disease. The severe periodontitis, which can lead to tooth loss, affects 5 to 15% of the population. In industrialized countries, studies show that smoking is the primary risk factor for periodontal disease.
Cancer of the oral cavity cancer is the eighth in its frequency in humans globally. In South Central Asia, it ranks among the three types of cancer the most common. However, a marked increase in cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx was also reported in several countries and regions such as Germany, Denmark, Scotland, Central and Eastern Europe and to a lesser extent, the Australia, the United States of America, New Zealand and Japan. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco, betel quid and alcohol are all risk factors.