A new World Health Organization (WHO) report highlights a severe shortage of oral health professionals in Africa, putting millions at risk of preventable oral diseases. The WHO’s fact sheet, released today, shows that despite a rise in oral health issues, the region remains underinvested in the workforce needed to address these challenges.
The report reveals that in the past three decades, Africa has seen the highest increase in cases of dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss among all WHO regions. In 2021, nearly 42% of the African population had untreated oral diseases. This is worsened by a significant lack of oral health workers. Between 2014 and 2019, the region had just one-tenth of the global number of dentists and one-sixth of oral health professionals, including dental assistants and prosthetists, per 10,000 people.
As of 2022, Africa had only about 57,000 oral health professionals, or 1.11% of the total health workforce in the region. This equates to just 0.37 professionals per 10,000 people—far below the 1.33 per 10,000 required to meet basic universal health coverage targets. The shortage could worsen, with the region needing an additional 199,170 oral health workers by 2030 to meet the demand.
The report attributes this gap to the low prioritization of oral health in many African countries, leading to insufficient financial and technical support. Additionally, oral health has often been treated separately from general health, resulting in fragmented care systems, inadequate workforce training, and competition for limited resources. Despite over 4,000 health training institutions in Africa, only 84 institutions across 26 countries offer dental education.
This shortage hampers efforts to achieve universal health coverage and has led to slow progress in oral disease prevention, including fluoride use and sugar reduction. Only 17% of the population has access to essential oral health services through major government health financing schemes.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressed the urgency of addressing this issue. “Africa cannot afford to neglect oral health. Neglect has severe, lasting consequences for overall well-being,” he said. “Countries must increase the workforce, improve access to prevention and care services, and educate people about the importance of oral health.”
The WHO’s fact sheet aims to guide policymakers and stakeholders in prioritizing oral health and tackling the workforce crisis. It calls for urgent action, including aligning national strategies with the WHO Global Oral Health Strategy, enhancing data management, and shifting towards integrated prevention and promotion of oral health. The report also suggests innovative workforce models, such as task-sharing between oral health and non-oral health workers, and improving training curricula and retention strategies.
Dr. Ihekweazu concluded, “Increased investment and targeted interventions are critical to closing Africa’s oral health workforce gap. We must prioritize oral health to improve health outcomes and reduce disease burden across the region.”
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