Activities worldwide will celebrate a ‘Smile for life’ this World Oral Health Day, 20 March

• This year sees more innovative events than ever before. They range from screenings of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Dentist’ to a marathon to raise awareness of oral health.

• The new World Oral Health Day 2015 poster customisation app will help support participating organisations.

Geneva, 10 March 2015 - As World Oral Health Day 2015 approaches countries worldwide are preparing to celebrate in their own way. The theme is ‘Smile for life’.

Planned activities in 2015 include: a media campaign on local radio stations and free dental check-ups for over 500 children in Senegal; a selfie contest under the theme ‘Smile for life’ in Spain; free oral health assessments and fluoride treatments for all children attending a camp in Liberia; and an attempt to achieve a world record for the most amount of voluntary dentistry done in one day in Australia.

The challenge is for National Dental Associations, Student Dental Associations and World Oral Health Day Partners to match or outdo last year’s vast array of activities, which included an attempt on the World Record for the number of people brushing their teeth simultaneously.

Also this year, a new application provides participants with the means of customizing their World Oral Health Day campaign poster with pictures and other features adapted to their local, regional or national needs.

‘It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm of so many different groups in the pursuit of raising oral health awareness within their communities,” said FDI President Dr Tin Chun Wong. “World Oral Health Day 2015 is set to be bigger and better than ever before, helping to spread the message of a ‘Smile for life’ across the globe.”

To find out if there is an activity near you or to get involved yourself, visit the World Oral Health Day website, which offers the latest news and a range of downloadable material to help celebrate a ‘Smile for Life’ on 20 March 2015.

WOHD is celebrated throughout the world on 20 March each year with a wide range of awareness-raising activities organised by dentists, dental students and National Dental Associations (NDAs). It offers the dental and oral health community a platform to take action and help reduce the global disease burden of oral disease.

Ninety per cent of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime and many of them can be avoided with increased governmental, health association and society support and funding for prevention, detection and treatment programmes.

About FDI

FDI World Dental Federation serves as the principal representative body for more than 1 million dentists worldwide, developing health policy and continuing education programmes, speaking as a unified voice for dentistry in international advocacy, and supporting member associations in global oral health promotion activities. FDI is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and is a member of the World Health Professionals Alliance (WHPA).

For more information, visit: www.fdiworldental.org

About World Oral Health Day

World Oral Health Day is celebrated every year on 20th March. The theme of World Oral Health Day 2015 is ‘Smile for life’. It reflects the major contribution oral health makes to our lives. Around the world, FDI member dental associations, schools, companies and other groups will celebrate the day with events organized under this single, unifying and simple message.

For more information, visit: www.worldoralhealthday.org

World Oral Health Day 2015 partners

LISTERINE® brand Mouthwash, part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies

As the world’s number one daily mouth rinse, LISTERINE® Mouthwash has been used by more than one billion people in more than 85 countries. Professional dental organizations around the world have awarded LISTERINE® Mouthwash with their seals of acceptance.

LISTERINE® is distributed by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., a part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, which is the world’s sixth-largest consumer health company and is a segment of Johnson & Johnson, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products.

Unilever 

Unilever Oral Care is a leading global manufacturer of oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash, represented by brands including Signal, Pepsodent, Close Up, Mentadent, Aim, P/S and Zhong Hua. Unilever recognizes that good oral health and the sense of well-being and confidence it brings, is a vital element to making people look good, feel good and get more out of life and that small every day actions, such as twice daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, add up to make a big difference for the world. Through its science, products, partnerships and international network, Unilever Oral Care is privileged with the power to make a sustainable and measurable improvement to oral health around the world.

Henry Schein

Henry Schein, Inc. is the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners.  A Fortune 500®{C}[1]{C} Company and a member of the NASDAQ 100®{C}[2]{C} Index (NASDAQ Ticker: HSIC), Henry Schein employs more than 17,500 Team Schein Members and serves more than 800,000 customers. Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein has operations or affiliates in 28 countries. Through Henry Schein Cares, the Company’s global corporate social responsibility program, Henry Schein helps expand access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.

Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program (WOHP)

WOHP partners with dental professionals worldwide, helping them improve their patients’ oral health through one extra simple and enjoyable step in their daily routine: chewing sugarfree gum after eating and drinking on-the-go. WOHP supports independent clinical research into the benefits of chewing gum, including saliva stimulation, plaque acid neutralization and tooth strengthening. For more information, visit: www.wrigleyoralcare.com