Oral Health in the Arab World: The Silent Epidemic of Dental Caries

Abstract

Poor oral health is a major neglected global health challenge. Over 40 million children suffer from untreated caries in deciduous teeth in the Arab world, while in permanent teeth, the unmet need increases to 137 million. Global trends show that low-income countries have the highest burden of dental caries. But in the Arab world, which is made up of 22 countries of the Arab League categorized into the 4 World Bank income groups, the highest burden of dental caries is in the upper-middle-income countries and low-middle-income countries. Despite the accumulating evidence on the role of sugar consumption on dental caries risk, sugar intake remains high in most countries, including those in the Arab world. Over 40 countries have implemented sugar-sweetened beverage taxes to reduce the sugar content of soft drinks and improve population health. As of 2020, four of the high-income countries in the Arab world (Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) and two of the low-middle-income countries (Algeria and Egypt) have implemented sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. Evaluations of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are in their infancy, but early evidence from Saudi Arabia suggests that they have the potential to improve both general and oral health, supporting their widespread implementation in the region. However, implementing sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in other Arab countries is hampered by a lack of resources, limited political will, and severe industry backlash.