On 27 January 2022 the Executive Board of WHO endorsed the Global Strategy on Oral Health. This strategy follows up on the Resolution on Oral Health as adopted by the World Health Assembly in May last year. It can be seen as major step in integrating oral health into WHO’s agendas on non-communicable diseases, primary health care and universal health coverage. Or as its Deputy Director-General. Zsuzsanna Jakab, put it ‘oral health has been overlooked for too long and must be restored into its rightful place’. The Global Strategy on Oral Health aims to strengthen political support for embedding oral health into national public health policies, a shift of focus from curative to preventive oral health care, innovative workforce models, people centred oral health care that covers the whole human life course and a better use of digital technologies. Oral health should no longer be a stand-alone issue in policymaking and delivering service and care to the public. The next step will be to develop an action plan in consultation with the member states which serves as a roadmap for facilitating this integration process. This process is set to be completed by 2030.
