Summary of the Policies for Oral Health Promotion in IR Iran

Oral health usually is not considered as a priority of health as it is not a direct cause of death. Oral health status in the world and Iran is not favorable. In Iran, over than ninety percent of adults suffer from oral problems. The DMFT index, which shows the number of decayed, missing (due to caries only) and restored teeth, has reported about 13 in Iranian adults. Each person looses one tooth every 3 year. DMFT is different across provinces. The best index is reported from Hormozgan provinces and southeastern regions and the worst is from Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. Expensive dental services and insufficient insurance coverage, activity of majority of dentists in metropolises, inaccessibility of people living in slums and rural areas to dental services, concerns on induced demands due to the large number of dental graduates are among the main challenges for oral health promotion. This article presents suggestions for the mentioned challenges and problems.