FDI report highlights a decade of patient oral health data

Dental Tribune International

Fri. 21. August 2026

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GENEVA, Switzerland: FDI World Dental Federation has published a new report reviewing ten years of data from its Oral Health Observatory (OHO). The data demonstrates how combining patient-reported outcomes with clinical findings can strengthen research and support more patient-centred oral healthcare. The report highlights the OHO’s growing role in generating practice-based evidence to inform oral health policy and advocacy efforts worldwide.

Established in 2014, the OHO has evolved from a pilot initiative into a multinational project spanning more than a dozen countries across all six World Health Organization regions. It has collected standardised data from more than 10,000 patients. By combining clinical assessments with patient-reported information on oral health behaviours, access to care and the effects of oral health on daily life, the project provides a more comprehensive understanding of oral health and its wider impact.

The OHO is intended to complement national oral health surveys. Traditional national oral health surveys are typically conducted every five to ten years and focus predominantly on clinical status. By contrast, OHO data can be collected more frequently, using a common methodology to collect practice-based information on disease burden, access to care, oral health behaviours and quality of life across participating countries. According to the report, this enables meaningful comparisons between countries and generates evidence that can be translated into local policy and advocacy.

Over the past decade, the initiative has generated nine peer-reviewed publications and supported national dental associations in developing evidence-based advocacy. The report gives examples that highlight the direct relevance of OHO findings to policy development and advocacy. In Lebanon, they informed the country’s first national oral health strategy. In India, the data supported national campaigns on sugar consumption and tobacco control. In Tanzania, the project has contributed to discussions on universal health insurance and national oral health planning.

The report emphasises the value of integrating patient-reported functional and psychosocial impacts with clinical data. According to the authors, showing how oral disease affects daily life and productivity can help policymakers better understand unmet need and help strengthen the case for preventive investment.

The emphasis on patient-centred evidence in the report reflects a wider movement in dental practice towards measuring patients’ experiences and outcomes alongside clinical findings. A recent study identified a core set of patient-reported outcome and experience measures that could help dental practices use patient feedback more consistently to support quality improvement and inform clinical decision-making.

Looking ahead, FDI said the next phase of the project will focus on expanding geographical coverage, improving representation of underserved populations and strengthening the translation of evidence into health policy. Together, these priorities are intended to strengthen the OHO’s role as a bridge between research, dental practice and public health decision-making by broadening the reach and policy relevance of its combined practice-based clinical information and patient-reported outcomes.

The report, titled Ten Years of Oral Health Observatory Data: Evidence, Impact and the Road Ahead, is available for download from the FDI website.

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Dental research FDI World Dental Federation Holistic dentistry Oral health public policy Patient data Preventive care Psychosocial Socioeconomic characteristics

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