Short CV
Benoit Varenne is Oral Health Programme Officer in the NCD Prevention Department, WHO, HQ, Geneva. The objective of his position is to lead WHO’s work on the global agenda on oral health. Before joining the WHO HQ in Geneva, Benoit was based in the WHO African region and coordinated a WHO publication entitled Promoting Oral Health In Africa as well as a new oral health policy for the African region Regional Oral Health Strategy 2016-2025: Addressing oral diseases as part of NCDs.
Geneva, Switzerland
Lecture
Policy Measures to Promote the Reduction of Free Sugars Intake
Poor oral health causes millions of people to suffer from devastating pain, increases the out-of-pocket financial burden for society and seriously affects people's quality of life and well-being. To face this threat, there is an urgent need to revitalize international oral health commitments as part of the NCD agenda and SDG commitments. The WHO Oral Health Programme is working on identifying a set of cost-effective and sustainable solutions – “best buys” for oral health. Through this initiative and based on evidence, WHO recommends that countries consider taxing energy-dense beverages and foods and/or subsidizing nutrient-rich foods to improve diets and prevent NCDs including dental caries. The presentation aims to update participants on gains and challenges of such multisectoral strategies and to identify approaches and ways forward in order to ensure a new upswing of public oral health interventions.
Learning Objective :
- to learn about the implications of the WHO Guideline on Sugars for oral health professionals
- to update on gains and challenges of policy measures to promote the reduction of free sugars intake
- to have a better understanding about effects of upstream public health policy
