FDI Dental World Federation's new definition of oral health announced

An editorial in the December issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) discusses the FDI Dental World Federation's new definition of oral health:

"Oral health is multifaceted and includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence and without pain, discomfort, and disease of the craniofacial complex," reads the definition.

More than 200 national dental organizations, including the American Dental Association, adopted the new definition.

Traditionally, oral health has been defined as the absence of disease. But as authors of the JADA editorial explain, a new definition was necessary to expand on its many facets and convey oral health as a fundamental human right.

"A common definition can bring stakeholders together to advocate for the importance of oral health; to influence and shape parameters of care, health policies, research, education, and reimbursement models; and to shape the future of our profession," wrote Michael Glick, DMD; David M. Williams, BDS, MSc, PhD; Dushanka V. Kleinman, DDS, MScD; Marko Vujicic, PhD; Richard G. Watt, BDS, MSc, PhD; and Robert J. Weyant, DMD, DrPH.

FDI also defined additional attributes of oral health:

Source: American Dental Association