Whole Mouth Health
Oral diseases affect approximately half of the global population (3.7 billion people), and they are the most common noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. Oral diseases impact people throughout their lifetime and have been linked to maternal infections as well as systemic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The Whole Mouth Health project, launched in 2019, promotes oral health literacy and provides personalized, easy-to-understand education that people can apply in their daily lives.
Project goals
- Identify the oral health literacy principles needed to achieve whole mouth health and to highlight the importance of patient understanding for better oral health outcomes
- Provide tools and resources to empower clinicians to deliver patient-centred oral health messages and allow patients to make better oral health choices through an understanding of those messages
- Advocate globally to promote oral health literacy as an important element of everyday prevention
Health literacy is the ability to understand and take action on health information and make decisions about personal well-being. Health literacy enables people to become autonomous in their health management and engage in informed health choices with their healthcare provider. Limited oral health literacy disproportionality affects people in certain groups, contributing to challenges with health equity, in-turn leading to poorer health outcomes overall and an increased risk of dental caries and periodontal disease.
It is essential to make patients aware that good oral health does not stop at only brushing. The Whole Mouth Health project was launched in 2019 to promote oral health literacy as important for everyday prevention, and to create a platform that focuses on oral health literacy by offering personalized dental health education in a way people can understand and apply to their lives.
Whole Mouth Health Arcade: Platform Analytics Report
The Whole Mouth Health Arcade, developed by FDI World Dental Federation with Adelaide University, is an interactive digital platform that lets global users explore oral health and its connection to overall wellbeing. Based on 1,404 responses from 97 countries between 2023 and 2026, this report highlights strong participant engagement and positive educational impact, while noting key opportunities to further strengthen oral health habits.
Whole Mouth Health Arcade
Take a fun journey into the mouth! You are invited to be a part of a worldwide research project.
By taking part in these activities, you are part of a global team that is exploring people's understanding of whole mouth health.
The Whole mouth health project is supported by :
