Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore, 21 Sep 2015

Mr Wong Ngit Liong,
Chairman, NUS Board of Trustees

Professor Tan Chorh Chuan
Chairman, NUHS Board, and President, NUS

Professor John Wong
Chief Executive, NUHS

Associate Professor Grace Ong
Dean, NUS Faculty of Dentistry

Board Members
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction                                                                                                                       

        It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning at the groundbreaking ceremony for the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore. This will be Singapore’s second specialty centre for dentistry, which when completed in 2019, will provide Singaporeans and residents better access to a wide-range of specialised dental services. The new Centre for Oral Health will also house NUS’ Faculty of Dentistry, which is Singapore’s only dental school.

Oral Health – An important part of holistic health

2          Oral health is an important tenet of overall health and well-being. Tooth decay and gum disease can cause much pain and discomfort, but they can be prevented with proper oral hygiene and regular maintenance.

3          For the elderly, poor oral health can significantly affect their eating – possibly leading to malnutrition and other complications. Common chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, do have an impact on overall oral health. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, for example, tend to have more severe and rapid progression of gum disease when compared to an individual without diabetes. Conversely, controlling gum disease has been shown to contribute to better diabetic control, and therefore resulting in improved overall health.

Offering better access to subsidised specialist dental care

4          The government has invested significantly in the promotion of oral health. The Health Promotion Board’s school dental services programme provides free basic dental care for all Singaporean children aged 7 to 18 years old. The Board also works with professionals to promote good oral hygiene through the oral health awareness month. The community functional screening programme screens seniors aged 60 years and above for poor oral health. Subsequently, appropriate follow-up measures, such as referrals to the appropriate dental care professionals, will be taken. With the introduction of the CHAS and Pioneer Generation cards, our pioneers and middle- to low-income citizens now have access to subsidised dental care at participating private dental clinics across the island. All of these efforts, together with the investment in the new Centre for Oral Health, reinforce the government’s commitment towards delivering accessible dental care to Singaporeans.

5          The new Centre, with its expanded capacity, will be able to accommodate approximately 500 patients per day when it is fully operational – up by 40 percent from today. It will be a comprehensive dental facility offering the full range of oral health care services and cater to the emerging oral health needs of the elderly. The Centre will include treatment rooms specially designed and equipped with the necessary facilities for patients with complex medical conditions, mobility impairments, and patients with special needs.

  6        With this latest development, the public can look forward to receiving subsidised specialist dental care, complementing the services provided by the National Dental Centre Singapore. Singaporeans living in the western part of Singapore will also find it more convenient to access oral health care services at the new Centre.

Delivering holistic patient-centric care

7          The siting of the Centre for Oral Health at Kent Ridge enables the Centre to provide multi-disciplinary treatment and seamless patient care, working closely with the services provided at adjacent clinical facilities and departments. Patients with oral health problems and concomitant medical conditions will also be co-managed by

their dentists, physicians and allied health professionals from various specialties, thus improving the quality of patient care.

Grooming the next generation of dental professionals

8          The Centre will also contribute to clinical education. This new building will house the NUS Faculty of Dentistry. With its expanded facilities, the School will be able to increase its annual undergraduate intake from 54 to 80 per year by 2021. This will ensure that Singapore will have adequate dental health professionals to meet the increasing demand for oral health care resulting from an ageing population.

9          The Centre will offer excellent training opportunities for dental undergraduates and expose them to the practice of geriatric dentistry. The percentage of our elderly residents in Singapore aged 65 years and above is projected to rise from 11 percent in 2014 to 24 percent in 2030. Therefore, it is necessary for dentists to not only deliver care to the elderly, but also develop appropriate patient-centric strategies and solutions to cater to the ageing population. In preparation for our ageing population, the curriculum for dental education will train dentists to better manage patients with multiple co-morbidities and various mobility impairments.

10        Besides the increase in academic intake, the Centre will also invest in new educational technology by using virtual reality and interactive devices to train undergraduates in the fundamentals of clinical procedures, complementing conventional methods of clinical training. This will be leveraged for effective and efficient training of dental surgeons.

Championing research to improve quality of care

11       As an academic center, the new Centre for Oral Health will expand its current research work in the field of oral-systemic health. It will champion research collaborations between oral health care professionals, as well as medical and allied health colleagues. The Centre will also place increased focus on oral health services research. The work in this area will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of oral health care delivery in Singapore.    

Conclusion

12        In closing, let me congratulate NUHS on the groundbreaking of the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore today. I am confident that when completed, the Centre will allow us to deliver better care in an integrated, holistic and multi-disciplinary manner for the benefit of all Singaporeans.