Every year on 20 March, people all around the world unite to celebrate World Oral Health Day (WOHD) and help reduce the burden of oral diseases. This year, the Editor-in-Chief of FDI’s flagship International Dental Journal (IDJ), Professor Lakshman Samaranayake, invites you to explore the connection between oral health and emotional, social and mental well-being, through an article collection curated in celebration of the 2022 Be Proud of Your Mouth for your happiness and well-being campaign.

Dental profession’s engagement for patient’s overall well-being

Prof. Samaranayake invites you to read the curated article collection that touches on topics exploring the interconnectivity between oral health and mental well-being, and includes articles on COVID-19, ageing populations, dietary habits, homeless adults, and more.

“…an increasing body of epidemiological, social science, and experimental data which suggest that initiatives that aim to promote only physical well-being to the exclusion of mental and social well-being are doomed to failure.”

In the introduction to the WOHD curated article collection, Oral Health, Mental Health and Quality of Life, Prof. Samaranayake highlights the importance of recognizing the impact of oral health on overall well-being. He observes that for far too long, the dentistry community has shied away from addressing mental health in relation to oral health due to a poor grasp of its conceptual framework. However, he commends recent efforts by oral health professionals to highlight the connection between dental issues and overall health and well-being. He also emphasizes that the collection of articles aims to provide a distinct perspective on the work of oral health professionals related to the quality of life and welfare of patients and dental care providers.

Celebrate WOHD, this year by reading this article collection and sharing it with your peers and friends.

Read Prof. Samaranayake’s editorial

Read the curated article collection

• Read Prof. Samaranayake’s preamble introducing the Oral Health, Mental Health and Quality of Life curated article collection.
• Climate Change and Oral Health

Donna M. Hackley

• Effect of Molar Occlusal Balance on Cognitive Function in the Elderly

Min-Jeong Cho, Hae-Eun Shin, Atsuo Amano, Keun-Bae Song, Youn-Hee Choi

• Fear of COVID-19 in Madrid. Will patients avoid dental care?

María José González-Olmo, Bendición Delgado-Ramos, Ana Raquel Ortega-Martínez, Martín Romero-Maroto, María Carrillo-Díaz

• Willingness to Pay for Preventive Dental Care Amongst Older Adults

Rakhi Mittal, Wong Mun Loke, Desmond Ong Luan Seng, Tan Mei Na, ... Patrick Finbarr Allen

• Associations between dietary habits, emotional state and subjective oral symptoms in 62,276 South Korean adolescents

Jae Young Han, Ju Suk Lee, Jun Hwa Lee, Mi Hyeon Jin, Sung Hoon Kim

• Empathy in dental care – the role of vicarious trauma

Nir Uziel, Joseph Meyerson, Rami Giryes, Ilana Eli

• Oral clinical status and oral health-related quality of life: is socioeconomic position a mediator or a moderator?

Seham Mohamed, Mario V. Vettore

• Dental Pain in Homeless Adults in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Marcela Obst Comassetto, Fernando Neves Hugo, Matheus Neves, Juliana Balbinot Hilgert

• Oral Health as a Human Right: Support for a Rights-Based Approach to Oral Health System Design

Gillian Jean, Estie Kruger, Vanessa Lok

About International Dental Journal

The International Dental Journal features peer-reviewed, scientific articles relevant to international oral health issues, as well as informative articles aimed at clinicians.

Since January 2021, IDJ has become an open access journal with no subscription charges. Gold open access means that authors who publish in IDJ can make their work immediately, permanently, and freely accessible to researchers worldwide.