African ministers of health gathering for the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa today adopted a pivotal framework to accelerate efforts to address oral health diseases that affect around 42% of the region’s population.

The regional oral health framework, endorsed at the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, aims for at least 50% of each country’s population to be entitled to essential oral health services. It also seeks to achieve a 10% reduction in the prevalence of major oral diseases, and that by 2028, 60% of countries have national oral health policies with dedicated budgets and staff. It also aims that 50% of noma-endemic countries integrate noma into national health strategies.

“Oral disease have been largely neglected, making them among the most prevalent in our region,” said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our efforts to address this threat need to be robust, concerted and sustained. The framework agreed today highlights the urgent need for countries to prioritize oral health, ensuring adequate financing, workforce and leadership to protect and promote health through a more integrated people-centred approach.”

The framework emphasizes that oral health must be recognized as a fundamental component of universal health coverage. WHO, with support from partners, is working with governments to make progress through strong advocacy, technical assistance and training. For example, tax on toothpaste has been abolished to improve access to fluoride toothpaste to prevent dental caries in Mauritius. More than 14,000 health workers have enrolled in WHO oral health training courses to promote oral health and early detect and refer oral diseases at community and primary care levels. Fourteen countries are leading efforts to secure WHO recognition of noma as a neglected tropical disease. These milestones reflect growing national commitment.

“This framework is a welcome addition to our fight against oral health diseases in our country,” said Honourable Ibrahima Sy, Minister of Health, Senegal. “Senegal has long recognized noma as a critical public health issue and has been a part of WHO’s efforts to combat this devastating disease. We are committed to ensuring that we are at the forefront of protecting people against oral diseases through a multisectoral approach. With WHO’s ongoing support and collaboration, we will achieve this goal.”

The framework outlines five priority measures for countries to undertake: strengthening leadership and financing through partnerships; developing national oral health policies; and integrate oral health into essential health service packages. It also calls on governments to close the health workforce gaps through approaches such as task-sharing, increase access to essential medicines and enhance disease surveillance.

Despite the prevalence of oral disease, investment in prevention and care remains low: over 70% of countries spent less than US$1 per capita on oral health, compared to the global average of US$ 50 in 2019 – the latest available data. Service delivery is skewed toward costly curative care, with limited access to preventive measures such as fluoride toothpaste and silver diamine fluoride. Only four countries had national fluoride guidelines in 2023.  Additionally, the region faces a severe shortage of oral health workers—just 3.7 per 100,000 people, far below the estimated requirement of 13.3 per 100, 000 needed to meet service demand.

To implement the framework, the ministers of health agreed to boost political commitment, provide technical leadership, mobilize domestic and external resources, and allocate adequate human and logistical support.