[Prevention and control of oral diseases via "Common Risk Factor Approach"]

People are generally more aware of infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, trauma and other fatal diseases rather than oral diseases. In fact, the oral disease as a whole is ranked the third among the chronic diseases of human beings. There have been accumulating evidences that oral health plays a significant role in general health and quality of life. There is a wide recognition that oral health shares common risky/pathogenic factors with other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD). Oral microorganisms may cause dental caries and periodontal diseases, and they may also cause atherosclerosis and heart diseases, thus these usually end up to chronic diseases. On the other hand, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, psychological stress, poor sanitation, accidents and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to both oral diseases and a number of general chronic diseases. Oral health cannot be dealt with in isolation from other health issues. That is why the WHO recommended the "Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA)" for oral health promotion. In this article, the authors give essential interpretation of CRFA and make suggestions on preventing and controlling oral diseases via CRFA.