The 4th Annual Summit of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future Brings World Leaders in Dentistry, Oral and Public Health Together

The 4th Annual Summit of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future Brings World Leaders in Dentistry, Oral and Public Health Together

October 14th — Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease on the planet, affecting five billion people, or nearly 80 percent of the world’s population. Cavities not only affect an individual’s oral health through tooth loss, pain and reduced oral function, but also impact an individual’s sense of well-being, self-esteem, employability and social mobility.

In light of this, world leaders in dentistry, oral health and public health recently gathered for the 4th Annual Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future Summit at the FDI’s World Dental Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. The Summit sought to educate attendees on how dental caries (an early form of cavities) affects communities around the world, discuss what drives the complacency around the issues of caries and cavities and hear about successful models to reduce and prevent caries. The Summit also featured an update on recent Alliance activities, including the granting of charity status to the organization. In addition, expert speakers provided a case study from the local Brazilian chapter of the Alliance and real-world examples from Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia on how to improve the prevention and management of cavities. Photos from the event are enclosed.

To date, the Alliance has launched several local organizations throughout the world, including Colombia (May 2011), Mexico (September 2011), Brazil (January 2012), Venezuela (April 2012), China (September 2012), Europe (July 2013) and Turkey (August 2013) with additional chapters to follow. Each chapter is dedicated to achieving the Alliance goals in their own communities.

For more information about the ACFF, please visit www.AllianceForACavityFreeFuture.org.

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