Oral health, a public health issue in 2023: Reflections and actions of the ASPBD

Abstract

The first Dental Public Health Day, in 2001, was not only the starting point for the creation of the Association des Acteurs de la Santé Publique Bucco-Dentaire (ASPBD), but also for the recognition of this specialty in France, even though it had already been recognized by the American Dental Association as early as 1950. Every year, the ASPBD organizes a national oral health day. The ASPBD brings together the vast majority of French odontologists and academic researchers in the field, as well as other French-speaking academics. Throughout the year, we work to bring together the dental and non-dental worlds, mainly the institutional and non-profit sectors with users, freelancers, and employees, the World Health Organization, and the French Public Health Society. This is in keeping with the partnership approach taken by the association for the past twenty-two years. Our aim is to bring together all the actors concerned to work toward integrating oral health into all health policies and health promotion and prevention schemes. We believe it is vital to provide oral health training for medical and paramedical staff, as well as for those working in education and outreach. Likewise, we are working to ensure that prevention is organized on a territorial level, involving local people as closely as possible and focusing on their needs. This is why we are actively involved in the fight against social and territorial inequalities in health, oral health being a strong indicator of these inequalities.