The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health

The report argues that oral health is an essential component of overall well-being, linked to systemic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. It highlights a staggering global economic burden of $710 billion in 2019 due to oral diseases, driven by high treatment costs and productivity losses. The document identifies a systemic policy failure where dental care is often treated as a discretionary, privately financed service rather than an essential health service. It calls for governments, the private sector, and multilateral organizations to adopt the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan, integrate oral care into primary health systems, and prioritize preventive measures to reduce health and economic disparities.

• Oral health is intrinsically linked to systemic health; gum disease is associated with a 28% increase in the risk of a first heart attack and a doubled risk of stroke.
• The global economic burden of oral diseases was estimated at $710 billion in 2019, consisting of $387 billion in direct treatment expenditures and $323 billion in productivity losses.
• Oral diseases are among the most prevalent health conditions globally, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people annually, with the number of cases growing faster than the general population.
• Poor oral health significantly hinders employment and earnings, particularly for women and low-income adults; in the US, 29% of low-income adults report that the appearance of their teeth affects their ability to interview for jobs.
• Dental care is frequently the most difficult healthcare service to afford and access, with unmet dental needs being three times higher on average than for other medical services across 18 OECD countries.
• The high level of unmet need is attributed to policy choices that treat dental care as a discretionary, privately financed service rather than an essential public good, leading to a decoupling of dental and general health financing.
• Integrating oral health into primary care and universal health coverage has shown success in countries like Brazil, Thailand, and Japan, leading to improved health indicators and reduced disparities.
• Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is an effective preventive measure; a 10% tax generally correlates with a 10% reduction in consumption and lower rates of tooth decay in children.
• Ageing populations in middle- and high-income countries will place increased pressure on dental systems due to a higher need for complex restorative care to maintain natural teeth.

APA

World Economic Forum (2024). The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Economic_Rationale_for_a_Global_Commitment_to_Invest_in_Oral_Health_2024.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health. 2024. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Economic_Rationale_for_a_Global_Commitment_to_Invest_in_Oral_Health_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health |date=May 2024 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Economic_Rationale_for_a_Global_Commitment_to_Invest_in_Oral_Health_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2024economic, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Economic_Rationale_for_a_Global_Commitment_to_Invest_in_Oral_Health_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }