Dental Public Health

WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin – Four Wisconsin communities received awards for their public water fluoridation efforts on May 1 during the National Oral Health Conference in Denver.

NEW YORK, New York – A new initiative from Columbia University Medical Center will be the first to target chronic oral health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of chronic diseases are left undetected and untreated. The initiative is the result of an anonymous $1.5 million gift to support the Millennium Villages, which aims to fight extreme poverty and related challenges such as disease, hunger and lack of access to water and sanitation though scientifically sound and sustainable interventions. A third of the gift will be devoted to supporting the oral health program.

GENEVA, Switzerland- The revised International Health Regulations (IHR) enter into force on Friday, 15 June. The Regulations consist of a comprehensive and tested set of rules and procedures which will help to make the world more secure from threats to global health. They were agreed by the World Health Assembly in 2005 and represent a major step forward in international public health security.

GENEVA, Switzerland – On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2007 the FDI World Dental Federation urged dental professionals around the world to support smoke-free environments. The FDI leads by example through its smoke-free workplaces, congresses, continuing education sessions and meetings.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – The University of Michigan School of Dentistry will again be providing dental care to migrant workers and their families in northern lower Michigan beginning Monday, June 18. The six-week program will continue through Friday, July 27.

GENEVA, Switzerland – The FDI World Dental Federation congratulates the adoption of an action plan on oral health by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 60th World Health Assembly (WHA). The document titled “Oral health: action plan for promotion and integrated disease prevention” will be a significant policy and advocacy tool for improving oral health worldwide in the years to come. An FDI delegation, led by the FDI President, participated in the proceedings of the WHA, a meeting of Ministers of Health and senior government officials from the 191 WHO member countries.

CHICAGO, Illinois – Dr. Mark Feldman, president-elect of the American Dental Association, stood with Reps. Albert Wynn (D-Md.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) on Capitol Hill this afternoon to announce the Association’s strong support for Mr. Wynn’s “Essential Oral Health Care Act of 2007.”

WASHINGTON , District of Columbia/ GENEVA, Switzerland – The FDI World Dental Federation and the World Health Organization’s Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) jointly announced today a regional conference for the Americas on oral health. It will take place in Lima, Peru, in April 2008. The conference is a part of the joint activities between the two organisations, which aim to improve oral health in this region of the world, from as far north as Alaska to as far south as the Patagonia.

Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian relief agency, has been committed to helping the residents of New Orleans rebuild since Hurricane Katrina. One of the agency's ongoing programs is a dental clinic that provides free services to those in need. The clinic is staffed primarily by volunteers and cannot open unless a dentist is scheduled to volunteer. There is currently a shortage of dental volunteers.

CHICAGO, Illinois – The American Dental Association (ADA) applauds Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., for introducing legislation to help end the silent epidemic of untreated dental disease among the nation’s disadvantaged children.