Workplaces a 'Missed Opportunity' to Address the Global Oral Health Burden, FDI Report Finds

A new global report identifies workplaces as one of the most promising and underused platforms to improve oral health, boost productivity, and strengthen workforce well-being. The report, Oral Health at Work: A Roadmap for Prevention, Productivity and Workforce Well-being, released by FDI World Dental Federation, offers the first comprehensive look at how oral health is beginning to be implemented across workplace settings worldwide.

Oral diseases affect 3.7 billion people globally and cost the economy an estimated US$710 billion each year, including US$323 billion in lost productivity. Yet oral health remains largely absent from workplace health strategies — a gap with significant consequences: employees miss work, productivity declines, and many continue working in pain or discomfort.

"This report does not just describe a problem, it identifies a strategic opportunity," said Asst. Prof. Dr Nikolai Sharkov, FDI President. "For the first time, we are seeing how workplaces can become a platform to improve oral health through prevention, early intervention and better health outcomes."

While workplace oral health is still at an early stage globally, the report identifies four main implementation pathways: regulatory or hazard-anchored models; occupational health-embedded models; public health–anchored models; and employer and insurer–enabled prevention and access models. Each pathway offers a distinct entry point for scaling oral health interventions within existing workplace health frameworks.

The report sets out a practical roadmap with six priorities: aligning policy across health, labour, and occupational systems; mobilising employers and insurers as partners in prevention; developing practical implementation frameworks; strengthening evidence and data; expanding partnerships and advocacy; and piloting, evaluating, and scaling solutions.

With adults spending around one-third of their lives at work, workplaces offer a unique opportunity to reach populations often underserved by preventive care. The report calls for coordinated action across policymakers, employers, insurers, and health systems — and was launched during a side event at the 79th World Health Assembly, where global leaders discussed how to translate these insights into action.