Ahead of World Oral Health Day on Sunday 20 March, FDI and prominent stakeholders from the dental industry will get together through a special online event (17 March) to discuss the role of innovation and technology in shaping the future of oral health. World Oral Health Day (WOHD) [ http://www.worldoralhealthday.org/ ] is celebrated every year, all around the world, on 20 March. In the spirit of the 2022 WOHD campaign, Be Proud of your Mouth for your happiness and well-being, that advocates a multisectoral response to addressing the burden of oral disease, FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) will convene prominent dental industry partners in a webinar [ https://www.fdioralhealthcampus.org/webinar/world-oral-health-day-2022-how-can-industry-drive-innovation-to-improve-oral-health/ ] to discuss the role of innovation and technology in shaping the future of oral health. The 2022 WOHD campaign emphasizes that an unhealthy mouth can severely impact every aspect of life such as emotional, social, mental, and overall physical well-being. Therefore, concerted action across stakeholder groups - general public, governments and policymakers, and the dental industry - is needed to address oral diseases, which affect around 3.5 billion people globally, with tooth decay (dental caries) in permanent teeth being the most prevalent disease worldwide. Today, new technologies are revolutionizing dentistry, easing the work of dental professionals, improving patient experiences, addressing access to care to underserved and vulnerable populations, and leading the transformation towards sustainable practices. The webinar, involving official WOHD industry partners, will highlight the contributions that key innovation leaders are making to improve the oral health and quality of life of people globally. Prof. Paulo Melo, WOHD Task Team Chair, says "On 20 March every year, we ask the world to unite to help reduce the global burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems and economies everywhere. Good oral health is essential to general health, well-being and quality of life. Industry partners have a key role to play in providing the necessary products, technologies and equipment to facilitate prevention, early detection and treatment of oral diseases". Valued campaign partners Unilever, Dentsply-Sirona and Align Technology will present their perspectives on strategies, technologies and tools that are shaping the future of oral health by helping dental professionals in the prevention, early detection and care of oral diseases so that people can be proud of their mouth. Unilever [ http://www.unilever.com/ ] will be highlighting their new "Don't Wait Until It's Too Late #TalkToADentist" campaign, and the benefits of Teledentistry. The campaign is based on the belief that everyone should be able to access convenient and affordable expert dental care. Align Technology [ https://www.aligntech.com/ ] will explain how digital dental technologies can help educate patients, enhance their treatment experience and support clinicians in establishing preventive care as part of a long-lasting oral health journey. Dentsply-Sirona [ https://www.dentsplysirona.com/ ] will discuss how their latest digital innovations are increasing access to high quality care, enabling patient-specific solutions with end-to-end digital workflows powered by artificial intelligence, allowing dental professionals to focus on what matters most: treating their patients and creating healthy smiles. The online event [ https://www.fdioralhealthcampus.org/webinar/world-oral-health-day-2022-how-can-industry-drive-innovation-to-improve-oral-health/ ] , will begin at 2 p.m. Central Europe Time or 8 a.m Eastern Standard Time on 17 March and will be streamed on the Oral Health Campus [ https://www.fdioralhealthcampus.org/ ]. Join the webinar [ https://www.fdioralhealthcampus.org/webinar/world-oral-health-day-2022-how-can-industry-drive-innovation-to-improve-oral-health/ ] and discover how these disruptive innovations may have a huge impact on patients' oral health knowledge and behaviour in the future, and how dentists and dental teams will be able to deliver safer and more effective interventions, at both the individual and population levels. Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) Media contact: Chaz Jagait, FDI Communications and Advocacy Director Mob.: +41 79 796 76 13 Email: cjagait@fdiworlddental.org About World Oral Health Day Celebrated annually on 20 March, World Oral Health Day (WOHD) was launched by FDI World Dental Federation to raise global awareness on the prevention and control of oral diseases. www.worldoralhealthday.org; #WOHD22 #MouthProud WOHD Global Partners: Align Technology, Dentsply-Sirona, Unilever; WOHD Supporters: Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program, Listerine(R) About FDI World Dental Federation FDI World Dental Federation serves as the principal representative body for over one million dentists worldwide. Its membership includes some 200 national dental associations and specialist groups in over 130 countries. FDI has the vision of leading the world to optimal oral health. https://www.fdiworlddental.org/; facebook.com/FDIWorldDentalFederation; https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/ ; twitter.com/FDIWorldDental; https://www.linkedin.com/company/fdiworlddentalfederation Source: FDI World Dental Federation