(World Health Organisation, 2023)

Oral health is essential to general health and quality of life. Oral diseases such as periodontal (gum) diseases, dental caries (tooth decay), oral cancer and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases share common risk factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, and poor dietary habits.

Oral diseases disproportionately affect disadvantaged and vulnerable populations across the life course.

Prevention is the key to oral health improvement. This includes behaviours such as:

• eating a healthy diet and limiting intake of sugars
• performing effective daily oral hygiene by brushing teeth using fluoride toothpaste twice a day
• having regular dental check-ups

The Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit is an evidence based resource that aims to ensure a consistent UK wide approach to prevention of oral diseases.

In Wales there are two national oral health improvement programmes:

Designed to Smile

Designed to Smile is a national oral health improvement programme funded by Welsh Government that works across environments and professions to improve oral health of young children in Wales.

Gwen am Byth

Gwên am Byth is a national oral health improvement programme delivered by the Community Dental Services in Wales with the primary aim of improving oral health and hygiene for older people living in care homes. The programme provides support for care home staff to maintain oral hygiene and assess oral health risks in their residents.