Move over, St. Paddy. It’s time for World Oral Health Day, which is celebrated globally every year on March 20. It may not come with green beer and four-leafed clover cookies, but the day is organized by the FDI World Dental Federation and is the most extensive global awareness campaign on oral health.

The observance spreads the word about the importance of good oral hygiene practices to adults and children alike and demonstrates the importance of optimal oral health in maintaining general health and well-being.

Every year, World Oral Health Day chooses a specific theme and reaches out to the public, oral health professionals and health-related policymakers who all have a role to play in helping reduce the burden of oral disease.

The official theme of the 2019 campaign is "Say Ahh: Act on Mouth Health."

World Oral Health Day first became a thing in 2007 and was originally celebrated on Sept. 12 — which is the birth date of FDI founder Dr. Charles Godon. The campaign was not fully activated until 2013, and at that time, the date was changed to March 20 in order to avoid conflict with the FDI World Dental Congress, which traditionally takes place in the late summer/early fall.

Resources and tips on how to celebrate World Oral Health Day are available at worldoralhealthday.org/resources.

FDI World Dental Federation is the largest membership-based dental organization in the world. It is the principal representative body for over one million dentists worldwide. FDI's membership comprises approximately 200 national member dental associations, including the ADA, and specialist groups in some 130 countries.