Oral Health Is Health: Why South Africa cannot treat dentistry as an add-on
This National Oral Health Month, it is time to rethink where oral health belongs.
September is National Oral Health Month in South Africa, an important opportunity to raise awareness about oral health and encourage individuals, families and communities to take better care of their teeth and mouths. But at SAMDP, we believe this month should prompt a much bigger conversation. Oral health is not simply about teeth. It is about health. The question, therefore, is not only whether South Africans are looking after their teeth. The bigger question is: Are we giving oral health the place it deserves within our health system?
For too long, dentistry has been treated as an add-on to healthcare, something people turn to when they have a toothache, need an extraction or experience an urgent problem. That approach is no longer sufficient. If we are serious about prevention, health equity, healthier communities and a sustainable healthcare system, oral health must move from the periphery to the centre of the health agenda.
The global message is clear: there is no health without oral health
The World Health Organization (WHO) is unequivocal in its position: oral health is integral to general health and wellbeing. Oral diseases are among the most common health conditions globally, affecting billions of people. Yet many are largely preventable and treatable. WHO is calling for oral healthcare to be integrated into primary healthcare and universal health coverage, rather than continuing to operate separately from the rest of the health system.
This represents an important shift in thinking. The future of healthcare cannot be built around isolated parts of the body or separate professional silos. It must be built around the whole person. And the mouth is part of that person.
South Africa has an oral health challenge — but also an opportunity
South Africa’s oral health statistics should concern all of us. Approximately 41% of children between the ages of one and nine have untreated tooth decay, while severe gum disease affects a significant proportion of teenagers and adults. Behind these statistics are real people.
- A child with untreated tooth decay may experience pain that interferes with sleep, eating, concentration and participation at school.
- An adult with untreated oral disease may live with chronic pain, difficulty eating, reduced confidence or avoidable tooth loss.
- For older people, poor oral health can affect nutrition and quality of life.
- For people living with chronic conditions, oral health can be an important part of managing their overall wellbeing.
These are not merely dental problems. They are health problems.
WHY DENTISTRY MUST MOVE FROM THE MARGINS
There are compelling reasons for oral health to receive greater priority within South Africa’s health agenda.
ONE: prevention must become the starting point.
Many common oral diseases can be prevented or detected early. That means oral healthcare should not begin when someone is already in pain. Prevention should begin in childhood and continue throughout life — through education, healthy lifestyles, regular check-ups, early intervention and access to appropriate care.
TWO: healthcare must focus on the whole person.
The mouth does not operate independently from the rest of the body. Oral diseases share risk factors with other major non-communicable diseases, and oral health is particularly important in the prevention and management of conditions such as diabetes.
Healthcare professionals therefore need to work together rather than treating oral and general health as completely separate worlds.
THREE: oral health is an issue of equity.
Access to quality oral healthcare remains deeply unequal. Where people live, their socioeconomic circumstances and whether they rely on the public or private healthcare system can influence whether they receive preventive care or only seek treatment once a problem has become severe. A health system committed to equity cannot leave oral health behind.
FOUR: untreated oral disease carries consequences beyond the dental chair.
Pain can affect a child’s ability to learn. Poor oral health can affect nutrition and wellbeing. Adults may lose time from work because of dental problems or appointments. Families may face costs that could have been avoided through prevention and early intervention, and healthcare systems ultimately carry the cost of treating disease that could, in many cases, have been prevented or addressed earlier.
The cost of ignoring oral health is therefore measured not only in teeth lost, but in learning lost, productivity lost, wellbeing lost and opportunities lost.
FIVE: South Africa already has a policy foundation for change.
South Africa’s National Oral Health Policy and Strategy 2024–2034 recognises the importance of oral health within the broader health system and provides an important foundation for improving prevention, access and integration.
The opportunity now is to ensure that oral health receives the attention, implementation and investment required to turn policy ambition into meaningful change.
What should change?
Moving oral health to the centre of the health agenda does not mean putting dentistry above other areas of healthcare. It means recognising that dentistry is healthcare. It means:
- strengthening the integration of oral health into primary healthcare
- placing greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention
- improving access to essential oral healthcare, particularly for underserved communities
- ensuring that oral health is considered alongside other chronic and non-communicable health conditions.
- educating children and families before disease becomes severe.
It means recognising dental professionals as essential partners in building a healthier South Africa.
What will SAMDP advocate for?
As the South African Medical and Dental Practitioners (SAMDP), we believe the time has come for a stronger national conversation about the place of oral health in healthcare. We will advocate for:
- Greater integration of oral health into primary healthcare and broader health strategies.
- A stronger national focus on prevention and early intervention, particularly among children and vulnerable communities.
- More equitable access to quality oral healthcare.
- Greater collaboration between medical and dental professionals.
- Stronger public education about the connection between oral health and overall health.
- Better recognition of the contribution of dentists as healthcare professionals, prevention partners and advocates for their patients.
- Meaningful implementation of South Africa’s National Oral Health Policy and Strategy 2024–2034.
This is not a call for dentistry to operate separately. It is a call for dentistry to be more fully integrated into healthcare, because the patient sitting in a dental chair is the same person who visits a physician, uses a pharmacy, attends a clinic, goes to work and participates in their community. We must see the whole person.
This September, let’s change the conversation
National Oral Health Month gives us a reason to start this conversation — but it should not end when September ends. At SAMDP, we believe oral health deserves to be part of every serious conversation about the health of South Africans. Because a child free from dental pain has a better opportunity to learn.
A person who can eat, speak and smile without pain has a better quality of life. A patient whose oral and general health are considered together receives more comprehensive care. And a healthcare system that prioritises prevention is better positioned to build healthier communities and manage its resources sustainably.
This National Oral Health Month, SAMDP is calling for a different approach — one that recognises oral health for what it truly is: An essential part of health.
