World Oral Health Day by Dr. Jack Cottrell
Dr. John O’Keefe, Director of Knowledge Networks at the Canadian Dental Association, interviewed Dr. Jack Cottrell, Member of FDI Council, on the importance of FDI’s World Oral Health Day (March 20th, 2014)
Key Points
World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is an opportunity for FDI to lead an initiative to bring about awareness of the concept of oral health and its importance. It is also a mechanism to instigate some action to affect behaviour in the long term.
It is now known that oral health diseases share many common social determinants with diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease. Therefore, the dental profession is now poised to be able to help out in the global arena in order to affect and change behaviour.
Why is WOHD important for Canada?
Canada is considered a leader in dentistry and is very much respected in the global arena; however, Canada is not sheltered from oral health issues:
- We still have an access issue to dental care for certain population groups and we have to reach out to those that lack good oral health.
- We are seeing a resurgence of dental caries in certain population groups, of periodontal diseases. So, we need to build on the preventive approach that we have been using for years and make sure that we continue to improve the oral health of Canadians.
How can Canadian dentists get more involved with FDI?
It’s important to think in terms of the dental family and about being connected globally.
There is much to be learned by exposing oneself to the global family, particularly during the yearly FDI global congress which is a great opportunity for Canadian dentists to experience some of the best speakers in the world as well as see technologies that may not be available in Canada. I think it is an opportunity to expand one’s horizon.
Listen to Dr. Jack Cottrell’s interview
Visit our Podcasts Page to download the audio interview
Learn more about FDI, click here
More information about the FDI Annual World Dental Congress (2014) in New Delhi
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