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Worldental Daily, Thursday, 30 August 2012

Thursday, 30 August 2012 News N oncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascu- lar disease, cancers, chronic respiratorydiseases,diabetes,men- tal disorders and oral diseases, are a major concern globally because they represent a significant threat to human health and social and eco- nomic development. In 2008, NCDs were responsible for more than 60 per cent of global deaths and are expected to cause almost three quarters as many deaths as com- municable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional diseases by 2020. In urgently addressing the NCD challenge, now of epidemic propor- tions, governments have mandated the United Nations and World Health Organization to develop a global action plan. Furthermore, they have recognised that oral diseases (along with renal and eye diseases) pose a major health burden for many coun- tries, share common risk factors with NCDs, and, therefore, can benefit from a common response and should be included in national NCD action plans. Within this context, dentists have a significant role to play in NCD pre- vention and control, particularly re- garding monitoring and risk assess- ment, and it is vital for the future of the profession to seek to strengthen and expand this role in order to con- tribute to and deliver positive health outcomes. Withregular,affiliateandsupport- ing members in some 130 countries, representing over one million den- tists worldwide, the FDI has inte- grated this new role into its work agenda, demonstrating its commit- ment to prevention and control by leading the NCD campaign of the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA).Thiscampaignhighlightsthe crucial contribution of health profes- sionals to raising awareness about NCD risk factors and communicating messages of prevention. In the first phase, the FDI along with its WHPA partners developed and launched the NCD toolkit in 2011, featuring a health improvement card and modus operandiforbothpatientsandhealth professionals. Initially published only in print- ed format, the NCD toolkit is now available online at www.whpa-ncd- campaign.org, the campaign web- site. It features the interactive health improvement card and offers users the option to download their health report, as well as other information tools. The NCD toolkit is now in its evaluation phase through a pilot project in South Africa and the results are expected early next year. The WHPA represents over 26 mil- lion health professionals—dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physical ther- apist and physicians—through over 600 national associations. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X XXXXXXXX XXXXXX Stand Out from the Rest with High-Quality Care and Safety You are a professional who wants only the best for your patients and staff. That is why you insist on the NOMAD® Handheld X-ray system. No other X-ray system offers the quality, safety and value of NOMAD. More than 30 independent evaluations and third- party studies have concluded that NOMAD Handheld X-ray systems are both safe and effective. Why settle for less? www.aribex.com by Handheld X-ray Systems ® ® AD Professionals are leading a new global health agenda FDIcommitstoimportantroleofdentistsinpreventionandcontrolofNCDs IInformationabouttheWHPANCDcampaignisavailableattheFDIPavilion. (DTI/PhotoDanielZimmermann) IWHPANCDcampaignwebsite. www.fdiworldental.org 03