Dental Health Week
Dental Health Week, which takes place in the first week of August each year, is the major annual oral health promotion event of the Australian Dental Association (ADA).
The Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB) supports the ADA to raise awareness of the campaign and promote oral health in Victoria.
In 2023, Dental Health Week (DHW) will run from 7-13 August. This year, DHW is focusing on the mouth and whole-body connection. There are links between diseases in the mouth and diseases in the body. Bacteria in the mouth can travel to different sites of the body and inflammation in the mouth can increase the body’s overall inflammation. Six conditions have been explored in how they link with the mouth:
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
- Lung Conditions
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
To learn more about the link between these conditions and the mouth click here.
The ADA’s main oral health messages and the four key messages of the DHW campaign aim to reinforce the importance of maintaining good oral health and to keep your teeth for life. It should not be normal to expect that you will need to have some teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum disease. After all, you do not expect to lose an arm or leg, so why expect to lose any of your teeth? Australians should aim to keep their teeth for their lifetime. There are multiple ways to get information about oral health during Dental Health Week. If you have not had a recent visit to the dentist, it is a great time to make an appointment. A visit to your dentist for face-to-face advice is the best way to get your questions answered. If you are looking for information, click through the teeth.org.au website to find trustworthy and up-to-date oral health advice written by dentists from around Australia.
Since the best oral health education occurs face to face, from dental professional to patient, we encourage you to use the Dental Health Week website and resources to help start conversations with your patients and the wider community about making their oral health a high priority.
