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Oral health series (1): Be proud of your mouth with Tanden Frisk

Hej dear readers! Today is a special day for the oral health community as we celebrate World Oral Health Day. And for us, your friends at Tanden Frisk, today is extra special! This post marks the start of a series of blogs dedicated to oral health! More specifically, our articles will be discussing why Tanden Frisk aims to improve the oral health of certain population groups that are disproportionally affected by poor oral health. But first, let’s find out more about World Oral Health day, shall we?
“On the 20 March every year, we ask the world to unite to help reduce the burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems and economies everywhere.” (FDI)
World Oral Health day was created to empower people all around the world through education, tools, and confidence, to ensure good oral health for everyone. But why does oral health matter?

  • Oral diseases affect nearly 5 billion people.
  • Untreated dental caries (tooth decay) in permanent teeth is the most common health condition.
  • Oral diseases lead to pain and discomfort, social isolation, and loss of self-confidence. Often they are linked to other serious health issues.

But the news is not all bad, as there is no reason to suffer! Most oral health conditions are preventable and can be treated in their initial stages. World Oral Health Day is an initiative organized by FDI World Dental Federation; an organization that brings together the world of dentistry and aims to achieve optimal oral health for everyone.

But why today? Why 20th of March? Does this date hold any significance? Yes it does! You see, the date 20th of March was chosen to reflect that:

  • Seniors must have a total of 20 natural teeth at the end of their life to be considered healthy.
  • Children should possess 20 baby teeth.
  • Healthy adults must have a total of 32 teeth and 0 dental cavities.

When expressed numerically, these concepts are translated as 3/20, and we get March 20 as the day to celebrate oral health together!

Who we are and what we do

Now that we understand more about World Oral Health day, why don’t we talk more about Tanden Frisk? For starters, Tanden Frisk is a dental health project within SOGH, previously named Friska Gaddar. Tanden Frisk is Swedish and means “The fresh tooth”. Up till today, Tanden Frisk aimed to educate youths about oral health care, with a special focus on socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. We carried out workshops about dental and oral health care habits for children in lower-income areas in Stockholm. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to temporarily stop onsite activities. Therefore, we so are excited about the oral health blog series, it is an opportunity for us to continue our actions online. And we have exciting news about our projects to share! You see, we want to keep addressing the knowledge gaps in oral health. And so, we will be letting you in on how we plan to do this in subsequent blogs. Be on the lookout for more about our projects in the next installation of our Oral Health Blog series.

If you have any comments, or suggestions feel free to contact us, Aya and Carolina, the project managers of Tanden Frisk. Wondering how you can maintain your oral health in an environmentally friendly way? We’ve got you covered!  Feel free to check out our previous post on the SOGH blog: Go Green with your teeth. Happy World Oral Health Day to you all! Let us know in the comments how you’re celebrating today!

By: Aya El Hajj and Carolina Garcia Sanchez.

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