Africa sees largest global increase in oral diseases

The African continent has been witnessing the largest global increase in oral diseases for the past three decades, declared World Health Organization (WHO) in a recent report stating that 44% of Africa’s population is now diagnosed with those diseases.

“Oral health remains a low priority in many African countries, leading to inadequate financial and technical investment,” states the report explaining that this weakens prevention and care services as well as oral health promotion.

The report revealed the shocking fact that 70% of sub-Saharan African countries spent less than US$ 1 per person per year on treatment costs for oral health care in 2019, which was the latest with available data.

On World Oral Health Day, which was March 20, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said that “Oral health is integral to general health and well-being, yet it has been neglected in the region for much too long, often with severe and lasting consequences.”

The report further explained that Half of the African countries do not have oral health policy documents.

Furthermore, the region’s oral health workforce is “chronically lacking”, with a ratio of just 3.3 dentists per 100 000 people recorded between 2014 and 2019, approximately one-tenth of the global ratio.

“Such shortcomings have only been further compounded by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” emphasized WHO.

Over the past 30 years, there have been more than 257 million more cases of oral diseases in the African region, which impact people from infancy to old age.

Marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by the rising burden of oral disorders such as dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss, which reflects larger disparities in access to health services, highlighted the report.

One such instance is the continued occurrence of Noma, a disease that mostly affects sub-Saharan Africa and only manifests itself in situations of great poverty. The mouth and faces of usually young children are destroyed by this disease. In 90% of cases, it is lethal if untreated.