Tooth Decay Afflicts 4 Out Of 5

Five billion people — or nearly 80 percent of the world's population — suffer from tooth decay, the U.N. health agency said Tuesday in a report on oral health.

Tooth decay, gum disease as well as oral and throat cancers are a global health problem in industrialized and increasingly in developing countries, the World Health Organization warned.

Also, the loss of teeth usually leads to malnutrition — with people being unable to chew many foods vital to their health — and subsequently a host of other problems, the agency said.

"Poor oral health can have a profound effect on general health and the quality of life," said Dr. Poul Erik Petersen, coordinator of WHO's Global Oral Health Program. "The experience of pain, endurance or dental abscesses, problems with eating, chewing and missing, discolored or damaged teeth, has a major impact on people's daily lives and well being."

Losing teeth, often seen as a natural consequence of aging, can be prevented, said Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO's Assistant Director General of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health

"There is a perception that dental caries (tooth decay) is no longer a problem in the developed world, but it affects 60-90 percent of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults," Le Gales-Camus said.

Nearly 80 percent of the world's population of 6.3 billion people is afflicted, according to WHO.

Globally, most children show signs of gingivitis (bleeding gums) and the initial stage of gum disease is prevalent among adults. Severe gum disease, which can result in tooth loss, is found in 5-15 percent of most populations.

Studies show that smoking is a key factor for gum disease in industrialized countries.

Other risk factors include chewing tobacco and betel nuts, using snuff, brushing and flossing inadequately, consuming too little calcium and other micro-nutrients and consuming alcohol.

Oral cancer is the eighth most common cancer of men worldwide because globally men tend to smoke more than women. In south central Asia, where the habit of chewing highly carcinogenic betel nuts is prevalent, oral cancer ranks among the three most common types of cancer.

But WHO was also concerned about a sharp increase of oral and throat cancers reported in several countries, including Denmark, Germany, Scotland, central and eastern Europe, and to a lesser extent Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.

Petersen said this was likely because those populations tend to consume more alcohol and there is an amplifying effect between liquor and tobacco, increasing the risk of oral cancer.

While oral disease appears less severe in most African countries, a change in living conditions, the growing consumption of sugars and inadequate exposure to fluorides are expected to lead to increasing tooth decay on the continent,according the study.

"In many developing countries, access to oral health care is limited and teeth are often left untreated or extracted," Petersen said.

He added that the dentist-to-population ratio in Africa was about 1 to 150,000, against 1 to 12,000 in most industrialized countries.

The report said treatment of oral diseases is estimated to account for 5-10 percent of health costs in industrialized countries and is beyond the resources of many developing countries.

WHO said it was aiming to reduce the burden of oral disease especially in poor and marginalized populations by promoting healthy lifestyles and education at local national, regional and global levels.

By Erica Bulman