Treatment of preventable gum disease, tooth decay and tooth loss totals 4.9% of global health care spending: Report

A new Economist Impact white paper, “Time to put your money where your mouth is: Tackling inequalities in oral health,” is published today, commissioned by the EFP (European Federation of Periodontology) and supported by Haleon. The paper explores the escalating burden of periodontitis and caries, highlighting the critical associations between these two diseases and proposing a combined approach to improve population oral and systemic health outcomes.

A new calculator of caries prevention and care costs is presented in the paper, revealing direct treatment costs of US$357 billion per year, representing 4.9% of global health spending. Productivity losses due to caries, severe periodontitis and severe tooth loss are estimated at $188 billion annually.

The calculator, which estimates the long-term direct costs associated with managing dental caries between the ages of 12 and 65 in six countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia and the UK), also revealed:

• Total direct caries costs ranged from $10.284 billion in Italy to $36.231 billion in Brazil, partly due to differences in population sizes.
• The highest cost per person was estimated in the United Kingdom ($22,910) and the lowest in Indonesia ($7,414).
• The direct cost of dental caries was highest in the most deprived group in all countries except Indonesia and Germany, where it was highest in the least deprived, followed by the most deprived.

Oral diseases affect almost half of the world’s population, surpassing the burden of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs). With dental caries affecting more than two billion people worldwide and severe gum disease taking second place with over a billion cases, this article highlights the urgent need for action. By targeting common risk factors such as diet, tobacco and alcohol use, it reveals a transformative opportunity to mitigate not only oral diseases but also those NCDs such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke linked to oral disease .

Report initiator and contributor Professor Nicola West, EFP secretary-general, said: “It’s time to put your money where your mouth is: Tackling inequalities in oral health” is a timely reminder that there is no overall health without oral health. Oral diseases have surpassed all other non-communicable diseases in global prevalence, and for the majority of people, gum disease and tooth decay are completely preventable. Through this document, the EFP is calling on policy makers and budget holders to put their money where their mouth is,” emphasizes Professor West.

Based on the success of a previous Economist White Paper on the cost of gingivitis, ‘Time to take gum disease seriously’, which demonstrated the positive return on investment achieved through preventive home care and early diagnosis, the new white paper also introduces a conceptual framework that describes detail the progression of caries, covering from a healthy tooth to an unsalvageable caries condition.

This innovative model describes preventive interventions such as maintaining oral hygiene by brushing with fluoride toothpaste, applying topical fluoride, and strategically targeting different stages to inhibit or prevent caries development.

Steve Mason, Global Medical Lead for Oral Health at Haleon, said: “As a global leader in consumer health, Haleon’s purpose is to deliver better everyday health with humanity. We are proud to have supported this initiative from both EFP and by the Economist Impact Unit It represents a further important step towards better understanding and awareness of the importance of Oral Health Promotion and Prevention, to help support WHO’s oral health action plans.’

To encourage better oral health worldwide, it is time to take decisive action. The paper shows the need for stakeholders to collectively invest in and advocate for preventive measures, promoting a better alignment between policy, public health, payment systems and clinical practice.

Provided by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP)