MORE MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE SENIORS TO GO FOR REGULAR DENTAL CHECK-UPS

NOTICE PAPER NO. 430

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 3 FEBRUARY 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Joan Pereira

MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC

Question No. 1236

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether measures are being considered to further encourage seniors to go for regular dental check-ups and preventive care in addition to the enhanced Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) subsidies for dental procedures implemented in October 2025 to improve support for dental care.

Answer

1         Singapore has a range of policies and programmes to help seniors access dental care regularly, focusing on preventive care, access to services and financial support.

2         We recently enhanced CHAS subsidies for preventive dental care in October 2025. We are also working towards bringing dental care closer to where seniors live by expanding dental services at polyclinics and strengthening partnerships with community dental providers to make regular visits and routine care more convenient for seniors. Subsidised dental care in the community is currently available at over 1,000 CHAS clinics and 15 polyclinics.

3         We encourage seniors to go for regular dental check-ups as part of preventive care. For example, Project Silver Screen (PSS) is a nationwide community screening programme that screens seniors aged 60 and above in their vision, hearing and oral health. Seniors found to have dental abnormalities will be referred to CHAS dental clinics. More than 30,000 seniors are screened under PSS each year.

4         The National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) also runs programmes to support seniors’ oral health. The Oral Health Movement 8020 encourages older adults to retain at least 20 teeth into their 80s, reducing oral frailty and enabling early detection of risk factors. Complementing this, the Oral Health Education Programme trains caregivers in long-term care settings to provide basic oral hygiene and recognise dental problems. To improve access, NDCS offers Tele-dentistry Oral Care for Seniors for remote consultations, hygiene support and denture care for residents in nursing homes and home care, and has recently launched its first mobile dental clinic to bring dental services closer to the elderly community.