158th Session of WHO Executive Board (EB158)

Provisional agenda item 6: Follow-up to the political declaration of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

(Document EB158/6)

FDI World Dental Federation, representing over one million dentists, applauds the adoption of the HLM4 Political Declaration. For the first time in a High-Level Meeting, oral health is recognized in both the preambular and operative sections of the Declaration. Oral diseases are recognized as among the most prevalent NCDs, sharing common risk factors, and are positioned centrally within NCD strategies, marking a critical milestone for their prevention and control.

FDI commits to supporting Member States to translate this recognition into action and encourages the integration of oral health across the life course within national NCD and UHC strategies.

On the “WHO guideline on environmentally friendly and less invasive oral healthcare for preventing and managing dental caries”, we emphasize prevention and oral health promotion as the most sustainable approach and recommend robust monitoring and evaluation to ensure continuity of care during implementation.