#OralHealth

Sustainability challenge and related SDGs

Our mouths give us the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, chew, swallow and convey a wide range of emotions to our counterparts through facial expressions. Accordingly, a healthy mouth is important for our own well-being as well as for social interactions. A diseased mouth, on the other hand, can have serious health consequences for the entire body: if oral diseases such as tooth decay (caries) or gum disease (periodontitis) remain untreated for a long period of time the resulting bacteria may spread throughout the body and cause a variety of other health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease or dementia.

Oral diseases are problematic because they can affect the quality of life and mental health of those affected. Poor and socially disadvantaged members of society are particularly affected because a person's income, occupation or level of education influence the severity of oral disease. It is estimated that almost half of the entire world population is affected by oral diseases.

Possible solutions and their contribution to achieving the SDGs

#OralHealth is a good indicator of a person's general health and health behaviour. For this reason, maintaining #OralHealth is an important cornerstone for physical and mental well-being . Typical products and services for basic dental and oral care are dental appliances, dental filling materials, dental care products or technical instruments.

Maintaining #OralHealth is an important step towards achieving SDG 3 given its strong link to other diseases and conditions. It plays an important role in reducing inequalities in society - which is the target of SDG 10. In addition, access to basic #OralHealth is also part of primary health care, making an important contribution to SDG 11 - creating sustainable cities and communities.

Primarily related SDG Targets:  3.4, 3.8, 10.3, 11.1

Investment Rationale and Growth Potential

Almost 3.5 billion people are affected by oral diseases. This in turn means that the need for #OralHealth treatment is unlikely to abate. In fact, rising oral hygiene awareness and demographics can be expected to drive #OralHealth demand in future. This offers investors an exciting investment opportunity.

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