Oral diseases’ impact on general health, economy

In an audio interview with Radio Davos, the podcast from the World Economic Forum, Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., Chief Economist and Vice President of the ADA’s Health Policy Institute, discussed the impact of oral health across the globe and how much its neglect is costing the economy.

“When you look at the economic burden globally, it’s about a $710 billion tac every year,” stressed Dr. Vujicic.

The interview also detailed findings from a new report co-authored by Dr. Vujicic , The Economic Rationale for a Global Commitment to Invest in Oral Health, which examined the potential returns on investing more in oral health beyond healthier mouths.

“When oral health improves, for example among diabetes, pregnant people, people with cardiovascular disease [and] people with dementia, their health care costs go down,” Dr. Vujicic underscored. “So, if we invest in oral health, we see health care costs savings in other parts of the health care system,” he concluded.

Listen to the full podcast: World Economic Forum

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.