The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a new global oral health action plan, seeking to improve oral health outcomes and reduce the burden of oral disease worldwide by 2030.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory gum disease driven by bacterial infection and left untreated it can lead to complications including tooth loss. The disease has also been associated with diabetes, preterm birth, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.

Improvements in dental care, more people living longer and the social value placed on having a healthy smile has led to people keeping their own teeth longer, but it has also led to an increasing number of people needing some kind of restoration work, including crowns, bridges and implants.

An inexpensive, cavity-fighting liquid called silver diamine fluoride (SDF) works as well as dental sealants to keep tooth decay at bay in a school cavity prevention and treatment programme, according to a new study by researchers at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry.