Calls on World Health Organization to Recognize Noma
as a Neglected Tropical Disease
Alexandria, VA – May 27, 2022 — In a Discovery! article published today in the Journal of Dental Research, Kalu Ogbureke at the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston called for greater recognition and research into Noma, a debilitating and destructive orofacial gangrene disease that remains endemic in the poor countries of sub-Sahara Africa and other hotbeds across the globe -- mainly in countries characterized as having an underdeveloped economy with impoverished populations.
Research is lacking, Ogbureke wrote, “… in spite of the universally held notion that Noma is preventable.”
The name Noma originates from a Greek word that means “to devour.” According to the article, “In sub-Sahara Africa and regions in Asia where Noma appears to be endemic, the mortality rate is estimated to be 70%-90% in the absence of timely treatment. Untreated cases lead to progressive destruction of orofacial structures resulting in… physical disfigurements and functional impairments in self-nutrition, speech and, ultimately, (to) social rejection.”
“Noma is increasingly perceived as a global moral and ethical failure because this preventable disease is still endemic in populations of poor global communities affecting mainly infants and children. Although this condition has been known for centuries, much of its biology, including epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and mechanisms of disease remain unclear,” the article says.
Ogbureke calls for the immediate listing of Noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Inclusion of Noma as one of the NTDs… will provide more than a tacit encouragement to major international research funding agencies, including WHO and NIH, to renew their resolve to robustly fund a structured, collaborative, and coordinated proposals that address lingering questions on the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and mechanisms of disease in Noma,” he wrote.
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About the Journal of Dental Research The IADR/AADOCR Journal of Dental Research (JDR) is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. The JDR 2-year Journal Impact Factor™ is 6.116, ranking #5 of 91 journals in the “Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine” category, and the JDR 5-year Journal Impact Factor™ is 7.199. The JDR ranks #1 of 91 journals in total citations at 26,197 and Eigenfactor at 0.01683. The JDR Editor-in-Chief is Nicholas Jakubovics, Newcastle University, England. Follow the JDR on Twitter at @JDentRes!
About IADR/AADOCR
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide, with a mission to drive dental, oral and craniofacial research for health and well-being worldwide. The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) is the largest Division of IADR with 3,000 members in the United States. To learn more, visit www.iadr.org.