Sugar and tobacco are major risk factors for oral diseases and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). They contribute to issues such as dental caries, gum disease, tooth loss, oral cancer, and more.

To fight the sugar and tobacco epidemics that the world is currently facing, FDI launched its Capacity Building Workshops entitled ‘Two Risk Factors Too Many Diseases’ in collaboration with member national dental associations (NDAs) to arm them with the tools to advocate for optimal oral health in their country-specific context. The workshops are in line with FDI’s Vision 2030 report, which makes the case for upstream, systems-level change to achieve real and important improvements in oral health.

A successful start in India

The first set of FDI’s capacity building workshops were held in partnership with the Indian Dental Association (IDA) in Mumbai, India, and took place from 16–18 June 2022. A high-level roundtable discussion, jointly organized by FDI and IDA, occurred on the first day and included representatives from significant organizations such as the Government of India, World Health Organization, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Tata Memorial Centre, and Indian Council of Medical Research, amongst others. The discussions took place around the current oral health challenges and opportunities in India and stressed that there is an urgent need for local, national, regional, and global action.

Following the success of the roundtable session, the next day a workshop focusing solely on sugar and its effect on oral health materialized. Several local oral health professionals and dental students took part in the workshop and provided their input in possible policy and advocacy solutions to reduce sugar consumption and subsequently improve oral health. Similarly, on the last day, 18 June, the workshop focused on tobacco cessation and delved deeper into the methods that dental practices can adopt to help their patients to stop using tobacco in all its forms.

Mumbai Declaration on Sugary Drinks and Healthy Food

As a result of the roundtable discussion and the workshop on sugar, a declaration on Sugary Drinks and Healthy Food was drafted and endorsed by key health organizations, including FDI and IDA. This declaration identifies seven key areas of actions, which seek to reduce the harms caused by sugary drink consumption.

“I congratulate FDI and IDA for organizing successful workshops on two of the major risk factors of oral health and noncommunicable diseases, and subsequently developing the Declaration on Sugary Drinks. Commitment at national levels to improve oral health by tackling its risk factors are vital to reach optimal oral health at a global level.”, says Prof. Ihsane Ben Yahya, FDI President, commending the local efforts of the key health organizations in India, who are endorsing the declaration. “I truly hope we can continue our efforts to address the different oral health challenges and needs of each of our member countries through such initiatives.”

‘‘The declaration signifies the desire of the NDA to inform the public about the negative health impacts of sugary drinks, and to advocate for a comprehensive approach to reduce sugary drink consumption”, adds Dr Puneet Girdhar, IDA President, stressing the association’s commitment to advocate for optimal oral health and support their in-country strategies.

The Mumbai Declaration on Sugary Drinks is supported by the following organizations:

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (MoHFW)
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
• Tata Memorial Centre
• Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)
• Diabetic Association of India
• Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
• Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD)
• Indian Academy of Paediatrics
• Indian Dietetic Association

The capacity building workshops were supported by Colgate.