Be Proud of Your Mouth for World Oral Health Day 2021

The FDI World Dental Federation (FDI), of which the ADA is a member, has unveiled its three-year theme (2021-2023) for its annual World Oral Health Day (WOHD) event, encouraging people across the globe to "Be Proud of Your Mouth". 

Celebrated every year on 20th March, WOHD’s mission is to empower people with the tools and knowledge to prevent and control oral diseases such as tooth decay, which affect nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide. 

Part and parcel of the event is educating people on the importance of adopting a good oral hygiene routine and mitigating risk factors such as unhealthy eating (especially the intake of too much sugar which was the focus of this year’s Dental Health Week) and smoking, among other contributors to poor oral health. 

By adopting the theme of "Be Proud of Your Mouth", FDI is hoping to “motivate people to value and take care of their mouths and understand that by doing so, they can also help protect their general health and well-being.” 

People will be able to show their support for World Oral Health Day in the next three years by using the online #MouthProud custom poster tool which allows people to put an ornate art frame around their mouth, highlighting its importance, and to make a personal commitment to prioritise their oral health wherever they may be. 

Once they’ve created their image, they can place it on the Mouth Proud Wall, allowing them to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the "Be Proud of Your Mouth" initiative. 

It is also, as FDI President Dr Gerhard K. Seeberger notes, something that can be done even in the midst of a pandemic. 

"The most important thing is that our World Oral Health Day celebrations be conducted safely. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the nature and scale of in-person events, but with today's technology, so much more is possible. Today, we have more time to organize low-risk, impactful campaign events for March 2021. I encourage everyone to visit the World Oral Health Day site and use the wealth of resources that are freely available." 

As a longtime supporter of the campaign, the ADA is gearing up to be #MouthProud and will be encouraging everyone to value and take care of their mouth and in so doing, help them to live a longer, healthier life.