Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Acting Regional Director for Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO), has emphasized that despite advances in oral healthcare, the African Region still faces significant challenges in key oral health indicators.
In his message marking World Oral Health Day on Thursday, Ihekweazu revealed that only 17% of the African population has access to essential oral healthcare services. World Oral Health Day, observed annually on March 20, serves as an important opportunity to raise awareness about oral health, an often-overlooked component of overall well-being.
Ihekweazu noted that oral diseases, including dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss, affected 42% of the African population in 2021. He also highlighted the region’s high number of noma cases — a rapidly progressing, non-contagious gangrenous disease that primarily affects young children. If left untreated, noma can be fatal, and survivors often suffer from lifelong impairments and stigma.
To address these issues, Ihekweazu pointed out that member states had endorsed the Regional Oral Health Strategy 2016–2025, integrating oral disease into non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control programs. He highlighted the key risk factors for oral diseases, including tobacco use, alcohol, high sugar intake, and socioeconomic determinants. He stressed that an integrated approach to oral health, linking it with other NCDs like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, would yield the most effective results.
He also underscored global efforts to address oral health, including the 2021 recognition of oral health as a core part of the NCD agenda by the World Health Assembly. This led to the adoption of the Global Strategy on Oral Health and the Global Oral Health Action Plan 2023–2030.
Several African countries have already taken action, with support from partners like Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. and the Borrow Foundation. Countries such as Lesotho, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone have developed oral health policies, while Ethiopia and Kenya have trained hundreds of primary care and community health workers on noma and oral health. Additionally, Ethiopia has strengthened its noma surveillance system, and new projects in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia are improving access to essential dental materials.
However, despite these strides, the region remains behind in key oral health indicators. For example, the oral health workforce in Africa remains insufficient, with only 56,772 oral health workers in 2022 — far below the required 158,916. Furthermore, progress in disease prevention, such as fluoride use and sugar reduction efforts, has been slow.
Ihekweazu called on countries to accelerate the implementation of the Global Oral Health Action Plan and engage multisectoral stakeholders. He emphasized the need for innovative financing mechanisms, such as allocating health tax revenue to oral health, integrating oral health services into national benefits packages, and adopting a people-centered approach to implementation.
