Just as the SARS virus and the bird flu virus can be transported around the world in hours, health care information can be transmitted from one corner of the globe to another in seconds. Health care is a global concern that breaks down national boundaries. New scientific findings and technologies can arise anywhere in the world. The globalization of the health system will surely affect the area of oral health. Success in preventing and controlling oral disease in China is increasingly dependent on the ability to share knowledge and expertise with others around the world in a free and open manner. Dentistry in China must be fully involved in international organizations and activities for research, education, clinical practice, product development and distribution, and health promotion. In the same time, China will benefit from international cooperation and collaboration. National intensive care unit bed capacity and ICU patient characteristics in a low income country BACKGROUND: Primary health care delivery in the developing world faces many challenges. Priority setting favours HIV, TB and malaria interventions. Little is known about the challenges faced in this setting with regard to critical care medicine. The aim of this study was to analyse and categorise the diagnosis and outcomes of 1,774 patients admitted to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) in a low-income country over a 7-year period. We also assessed the country’s ICU bed capacity and described the challenges faced in dealing with critically ill patients in this setting. FINDINGS: A retrospective audit was conducted in a general ICU in a university hospital in Uganda. Demographic data, admission diagnosis, and ICU length of stay were recorded for the 1,774 patients who presented to the ICU in the period January 2003 to December 2009. Their mean age was 35.5 years. Males accounted for 56.5% of the study population; 92.8% were indigenous, and 42.9% were referrals from upcountry units. The average mortality rate over the study period was 40.1% (n = 715). The highest mortality rate (44%) was recorded in 2004 and the lowest (33.2%) in 2005. Children accounted for 11.6% of admissions (40.1% mortality). Sepsis, ARDS, traumatic brain injuries and HIV related conditions were the most frequent admission diagnoses. A telephonic survey determined that there are 33 adult ICU beds in the whole country. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality was 40.1%, with sepsis, head injury, acute lung injury and HIV/AIDS the most common admission diagnoses. The country has a very low ICU bed capacity. Prioritising infectious diseases poses a challenge to ensuring that critical care is an essential part of the health care package in Uganda. The prevalence of critical illness in developing countries is disproportionately high in view of the disproportionate burden of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and trauma. Sub-Saharan Africa bears 25% of the global burden of disease [1] . Management of critically ill patients requires significant human, infrastructural, and financial resources. These resources are typically limited in low-income countries. Major intensive care units (ICUs) are mostly found in large hospitals in urban or metropolitan areas [2] . The most common admission criteria to these units are post-operative treatment, infectious diseases, trauma and obstetric complications [2, 3] .