Oral health is an essential component of general physical health and mirrors people’s health status and quality of life. It is listed as one of the ten major human‑health criteria by the World Health Organization. A healthy mouth enables mastication, phonation, and maintains facial harmony and aesthetics.
Dental diseases affect an enormous number of people. According to caries‑survey data with a caries prevalence of 37.3 %, a large number of teeth in China require restorative treatment. Dental caries is recognised as the world’s third major non‑communicable disease, second only to coronary heart disease and cancer. The guiding principle is prevention‑oriented integrated prevention and treatment: support prevention through treatment and enhance treatment via prevention.
Oral diseases impose social and economic burdens. Relevant statistics rank oral diseases second among six common illnesses among school‑age children. They negatively affect student attendance, physical fitness and overall well‑being, and interfere with adults’ daily work and life. Oral health problems also raise household medical expenditure and exert considerable socioeconomic impacts.
Scientific evidence proves that common oral diseases can be prevented and controlled through self‑care. Popularising oral‑health knowledge is an effective way to improve the oral‑health status of the general public.
Oral hygiene constitutes a key part of public‑health work. Periodontal diagnosis and treatment are core tasks for dental institutions. We fully recognise the importance, complexity and long‑term nature of periodontal care. Great importance is attached to the prevention and management of oral diseases to support better oral‑health services.
