In the third episode of Series 2 of Oral Health Matters, host Richard Watt, Professor of Dental Public Health at University College London, is joined by two leading legal and health researchers to discuss the intersection of international law and dental health. This conversation explores the shift from viewing health as an abstract value to a body of binding national and international standards that frame oral health as a fundamental human right.

As global health agendas increasingly prioritize equity, this episode examines whether a country can truly achieve universal health coverage if oral health remains excluded or relegated to the private sector. Our guests provide a deep dive into the legal obligations of states to "respect, protect, and fulfil" the right to health, the impact of commercial determinants, and how human rights frameworks can serve as a powerful counterbalance to the influence of harmful industries.

Our Guests:

Dominique Mollet - Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Sara Laura Ferrari - Research Fellow in the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the University of Milan in Italy.

Oral Health Matters is produced by the Dental Public Health Group at UCL with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Follow the conversation by connecting with the Dental Public Health Group on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Instagram.

This is a Research Podcasts production.

You can read a transcript of the conversation here.

Episode Credits

Presenter: Richard Watt, UCL

Guests: Dominique Mollet, University of Groningen and Sara Laura Ferrari, University of Milan

Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts

Editor: Anton Jarvis, Research Podcasts

Music: The Documentary, Mapamusic

Oral health as a fundamental human right