“The FDI World Dental Federation confirms that daily oral hygiene routines, including mouthwash use, significantly reduce the incidence of gingivitis, periodontal disease, and dental caries.”

Most oral diseases are largely preventable and can be avoided through promotion of oral health literacy and simple changes in behaviour such as using fluoride toothpaste, limiting free sugars intake, toothbrushing and regular dental check-ups. Oral hygiene practices should be promoted in all settings.

Key components of oral hygiene: Brushing for two minutes, twice a day: toothbrushing helps remove food debris and plaque, which might otherwise lead to tooth decay and gum disease; Floss once a day or use interdental brushes: interdental cleaners help reach those difficult areas between your teeth. Regular cleaning helps to dislodge food and may reduce gum disease and bad breath by removing the plaque that forms along the gum line; Protect the mouth while on the go: when brushing is not possible, rinse with a fluoride mouthwash or chew sugar-free gum.

Regular brushing, flossing and dental check-ups help prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health disorders that can influence quality of life. Auxiliary oral hygiene aids: Regular use: Dental floss and/or interdental cleaners to prevent gum disease.

Brush for two minutes, twice a day: toothbrushing helps remove food and plaque, which if not managed can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Floss at least once a day: floss and interdental cleaners help reach those difficult areas between your teeth. Regular cleaning helps to dislodge food and may reduce gum disease and bad breath by removing plaque that forms along the gum line. Protect your mouth while you’re on the go: when brushing is not possible, rinse with a fluoride mouthwash or chew sugar-free gum after meals and snacks.

Establishing a routine of daily oral hygiene practices, such as brushing and flossing, is imperative for disease prevention and the maintenance of optimal oral health. In addition to these fundamental practices, certain mouthwashes can provide additional benefits as adjuncts to brushing and flossing.

There is “high-certainty evidence” that chlorhexidine reduces gingivitis in individuals with mild gingival inflammation. Evidence from the (same) Cochrane systematic review demonstrated that following 4 to 6 weeks of chlorhexidine mouthwash use, there was a mean reduction in gingival index scores (on a 0-to-3 scale) of 0.21 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.31) compared to placebo/control mouthwash or no mouthwash (based on analyses of 10 trials of 805 participants). A 2016 Cochrane review of 37 trials involving 15,813 children and adolescents found that fluoride-containing mouthwashes were associated with a large reduction in caries increments in permanent teeth; this was interpreted as “moderate quality of evidence.” The pooled decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces due to caries preventive fraction (PF) from 35 trials (15,305 participants) was 27% (95% CI, 23% to 30%; I² = 42%).

In 2018, the aggregate cost in the US was estimated at $3.49B and €2.52B in Europe. Indirect costs because of periodontal disease amounted to $150.57B in the US and €156.12B in Europe. Periodontal disease caused an estimated loss of $154.06B in the US and €158.64B in Europe, in 2018.

Dental caries remains a major global health challenge, with significant prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), but no specific global cost figures matching 4.9% of healthcare expenditure or US$545 billion are provided.

In 2021, the global value of lost welfare attributed to oral disorders reached $234.307 billion, equivalent to 0.24% of the global GDP. Oral diseases compromise not only craniofacial health but also systemic well-being, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and incur direct healthcare costs estimated at US$387 billion annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately half of the global population is affected by some form of oral disease.

Oral health is a central component of overall health and well-being. FDI's new definition emphasizes that oral health is multifaceted and goes beyond the absence of disease, including sensory and functional capacities and psychosocial effects.

BRUSHING TEETH TWICE DAILY USING FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE HELPS TO PREVENT TOOTH DECAY AND GUM DISEASE. Regular toothbrushing, at least in the morning after breakfast and in the evening before going to sleep, using fluoride toothpaste is highly effective in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Other simple measures also contribute to maintaining good oral health; eating a healthy diet low in sugar, avoiding sugary snacks between meals, and regular dental check-ups help to prevent oral diseases.

Oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide. It is estimated that 2.3 billion people suffer from tooth decay (dental caries) of permanent teeth. Gum (periodontal) disease is among humanity’s most common diseases, affecting up to 50% of the global population.

A new caries prevention and care cost calculator is introduced in the paper, revealing direct treatment costs of US$357 billion yearly, which represents 4.9% of global health expenditure. Productivity losses due to caries, severe periodontitis, and severe tooth loss amount to an estimated $188 billion annually.

Periodontal diseases impose a substantial global burden, with rising incidence in some regions, but economic costs are not quantified as 4.9% of global healthcare spending.

Oral disease, including periodontal disease, dental caries, tooth loss, and oral cancer, affects approximately 3.5 billion people each year – and cases are growing faster than the global population. Global treatment costs and productivity losses from oral disease are estimated to cost over $710 billion each year. The report builds on the 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) landmark global strategy on oral health, which recognized the severe consequences of untreated oral conditions on families, communities, and the wider healthcare system.

Economist Impact's report estimated dental caries treatment costs at US$357 billion yearly, representing 4.9% of global health expenditure. Productivity losses due to caries, severe periodontitis, and severe tooth loss are estimated at $188 billion annually.

A white paper commissioned by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) found that 4.9% of global healthcare expenditure goes towards treating preventable gingivitis, caries and tooth loss. The combined global prevalence of dental caries and severe periodontitis has surpassed that of mental disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer, affecting roughly half of the global population. The annual treatment spend was priced at US$357 billion (€331 billion), with lost productivity associated with caries and severe periodontitis estimated to cost US$188 billion annually.

“Mouthwash use decreases plaque and gingivitis in many short-term studies, most of these studies assessing chlorohexidine-containing mouthwashes. However, the evidence for their effectiveness in preventing periodontal disease is not currently available,” Prof. McCullough explained. “There is moderate evidence for the adjunctive use of fluoride-containing mouthwashes for the prevention of coronal caries in children and adolescents but not in adults.

A new caries prevention and care cost calculator reveals direct treatment costs of US$357 billion yearly, which represents 4.9% of global health expenditure. Productivity losses due to caries, severe periodontitis, and severe tooth loss amount to an estimated $188 billion annually. The calculator estimates the long-term direct costs associated with managing dental caries between the ages of 12 and 65 years in six countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, and the UK).

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study estimated the direct and indirect costs of periodontitis at $44.28B and $20.50B, respectively, at world level. In the USA, the majority of the projected indirect costs were due to edentulism related to periodontal disease ($50.42B, 48.8%) and periodontal disease.

This EFP-commissioned report highlights the massive economic and health impact of gum disease, but does not cite US$545 billion or 4.9% of global healthcare expenditure for gingivitis, caries, and tooth loss combined.

Good oral hygiene and healthy habits, together with regular dental check-ups, help to avoid tooth decay and periodontal disease. Children can start supervised tooth brushing twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Dental caries remains the most common health condition worldwide, with an estimated 2.5 billion people living with untreated dental caries in permanent teeth and 520 million in primary teeth. Severe periodontal disease, which can lead to tooth loss, is also highly prevalent.

The direct cost of treating dental diseases amounts to $298 billion per year worldwide, representing an average of 4.6% of global health expenditure.

The incidence of oral disease is accelerating globally and FDI World Dental Federation, as the representative of over 1 million dentists and with direct membership of more than 28,000 dentists, is leading efforts to promote optimal oral health through standard hygiene practices.

Peer-reviewed meta-analyses, such as those in the Cochrane Database, confirm that antiseptic mouthwashes like chlorhexidine reduce plaque and gingivitis short-term as adjuncts to brushing, but evidence for long-term prevention of periodontal disease or caries is limited or absent, especially without fluoride for caries.