Hereafter is the press-release agreed by MEPs Dr Andriukaitis & Dr Kulja regarding the event they co-hosted in the European Parliament on Tuesday 8 April 2025.
“Big Day for Oral Health in Europe.
Last Tuesday, we, Dr Andriukaitis & Dr Kulja, had the privilege of co-hosting an important discussion on “A Better Oral Health at the Cross-Road of the EU agenda”.
Together with a representative of the EU Commission we gathered for the first time in the European Parliament key voices to tackle all the aspects relating to Oral Health, from the prevention of oral diseases to the clinical training of dental students in Europe.
In Europe the share of people with unmet needs greater for dental care than for medical care. While 4.7% of EU citizens consider that cost is an obstacle in accessing basic oral healthcare, this estimate increases considerably for the population with the lowest income and exceeds 60% in some countries.
Only 41% of Europeans have all their natural teeth.
It does not have to be this way.
Our discussions reinforced a clear message: there is no health without oral health, as it is internationally promoted by the World Health Organisation. Oral health should be embedded in every aspect of EU health policy.
A heartfelt thank you to the Federation of Dental Regulators (#FEDCAR ) for its role in initiating and co-organizing this event, and to all our expert panelists from the dental profession #CED, academics #ADEE, students #EDSA and advocates #OralHealthPlatform . Your insights & your latest European data were crucial in shaping the debate.
We look forward to working on aspects of the Health Union, the European Education Area & the Union of Skills that will help to ensure no European citizen is left without a safe & affordable access to Oral Care”.
