From the margins to the mainstream:
Oral health as part of systemic health

ABOUT THE EVENT

Oral diseases affect nearly half the world’s population — around 3.7 billion people — making them among the most widespread health conditions globally. Yet oral health remains one of the most overlooked areas in global health agendas. Despite its clear links to other noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain cancers, oral health is too often treated separately from broader health systems, policies, and financing mechanisms.

Recent resolutions and global pledges — including the 2021 World Health Organization resolution on oral health, the WHO global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023-2030, and the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration “No health without oral health,” following the first global oral health meeting in November 2024 — have brought this issue into sharp focus.

In the lead-up to the Fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs in September, it is incumbent upon countries to give oral health the recognition and importance it deserves — not only by including it in the political declaration, but by understanding that oral health is an essential part of systemic health.

This event hosted by Devex in partnership with Haleon on the sidelines of UNGA 80, will make the case for this broader understanding — and will explore how it can drive concrete policy and programmatic action across sectors and settings, translating global commitments into national momentum.