New leadership for WHO Western Pacific region

Health Organization (WHO), policy priority, NCD and risk factors What we already know Oral diseases are major public health problems, affecting more than 800 million people in the WHO Western Pacific region. More than half of the region's member states have no oral health policy, and more than a quarter have no dedicated staff for oral health in their health ministries. Pacific Island countries face significant barriers to oral disease prevention and care due to isolation, resource and infrastructure gaps, and limited oral health workforce. What this article adds Stresses the need for higher prioritization of oral health, particularly in the Pacific Islands. Introduces the "Suva Declaration on Improving Oral Health in the Pacific Islands Region" as a blueprint to develop recommendations and action on oral health within WHO WPR. Advocates for integrating oral health in the regional policy agenda to enhance Primary Health Care and advance Universal Health Coverage efforts

Archaeology · Asia pacific · Ethnology · Family medicine · Geography · Oral health · Pacific ocean · Pacific Rim · Global Maternal and Child Health · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · History · Medicine · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Geology · Oceanography