Colgate-Palmolive has announced a new multi-year collaboration with the WHO Foundation to advance global oral health, addressing one of the most prevalent yet overlooked noncommunicable diseases affecting 3.7 billion people worldwide. This four-year funding commitment will support the expansion of oral health education, integration of oral health into national health systems, and increased awareness of oral health as a critical public health priority. The initiative builds on Colgate’s long-standing efforts, including its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program, which has reached approximately two billion children and their families since 1991.
Ram Raghavan, President of Enterprise Oral Care at Colgate-Palmolive, emphasized the company’s purpose-driven approach to promoting healthier futures and highlighted the collaboration’s potential to scale prevention and education initiatives while supporting evidence-based solutions that strengthen health systems and improve community health globally. Oral health is foundational to overall wellbeing, yet it remains underprioritized in many health systems, with barriers such as economic status, education, health literacy, and limited access to healthcare exacerbating inequalities. For children, poor oral health can lead to physical pain, emotional distress, and challenges in education, including concentration difficulties and higher absenteeism.
Through this partnership, Colgate and the WHO Foundation aim to address these systemic challenges, supporting the World Health Organization in integrating oral health into broader public health agendas and systems. Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, noted that long-term investment in prevention, guidance, and strong health systems is essential to improving oral health outcomes and overall community wellbeing worldwide.
The partnership focuses on three strategic areas of action: scaling oral health education by embedding preventive principles into government health infrastructure such as school health programs; supporting policy and guidance through research to enable Ministries of Health to implement evidence-based, cost-effective oral health interventions; and increasing prioritization by raising global awareness of the link between oral health and overall health through cross-sector engagement.
Launched at a time when public-private collaboration is critical for advancing global health goals, this partnership responds to calls from the recent Fourth United Nations High-Level Meeting, which recognized oral health as a public health priority. By emphasizing preventive measures, policy support, and public awareness, the collaboration aims to improve health outcomes and quality of life for communities worldwide.
