Home

The Phuket Declaration on Oral Health in HIV/AIDS 2004 - A commitment to action

The participants of the 5th World Workshop on Oral Health and Disease in AIDS which took place 6-10 July 2004 in Phuket, Thailand, welcomed the initiative to analyze the evidence on HIV/AIDS related oral disease and the implications for prevention and public health programs.

The participants from 27 countries emphasized that oral health is an integral part of general health and wellbeing. They expressed concern about the growing burden of oral disease related to HIV/AIDS which particularly affects developing countries with low availability of programs and services for oral health.

Participants took note of the following documents essential to improved health and disease control in the 21st Century.

  • The WHO World Oral Health Report 2003
  • The WHO World Health Report 2003 - Shaping the future
  • The WHO Global Health - Sector Strategy for HIV/AIDS, 2003-2007
  • United Nations Global Strategy Framework on HIV/AIDS 2001
  • Coogan MM, Sweet SP (eds.) Oral manifestations of HIV in the developing and developed world. Oral Diseases 2002: 8 (Suppl. 2).

The participants hereby affirm their commitment to oral health and general health as a basic human right and resolve to support the work carried out by national and international health authorities, research institutions, non-governmental organizations and civil society for the effective control of HIV/AIDS related oral disease. In particular, the following areas of work should be strengthened:

(a) provision of systematic epidemiological information on oral health conditions associated with HIV infections;

(b) promotion of research into understanding oral disease related to HIV and identification of the most indicative oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS;

(c) integrating oral health into national health surveillance systems which record HIV/AIDS related health conditions;

(d) dissemination of information on HIV/AIDS related oral disease, care, and prevention through every possible means of communication;

(e) training of primary health workers in screening and provision of first-level care in HIV/AIDS related oral disease;

(f) access to health facilities and provision of oral health care and health promotion for the improvement of quality of life of people infected by HIV, emphasizing the inter-relationship between oral health and general health;

(g) development of positive attitudes towards oral care of HIV/AIDS patients by health workers.

The participants support the efforts of the WHO Oral Health Programme aiming at coordination and inter-country sharing of experiences in prevention and oral health care of HIV infected people.

PDF of Declaration.

Workshop Sponsors

Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand
songkla.png
International Association for Dental Research
IADR Logo
World Health Organization
WHO
National Institutes of Health, NIDCR, USA
NIH.png
University of California-San Francisco Oral AIDS Center
UniversityofCalifornia.png