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NOTICE PAPER NO. 1720
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 27 FEBRUARY 2023
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Leong Mun Wai
Non-Constituency MP
Question No. 2724
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current number of dentists specialising in geriatric dental services in the public healthcare system; and (b) what are the plans to improve the accessibility and availability of geriatric dental services by 2030 in light of the ageing population in Singapore.
Answer
1 The majority of dental needs of geriatric patients can be met by general dentists at the polyclinics, CHAS clinics and private dental clinics. Seniors with more complex needs or with medical conditions can be cared for by specialists at the two national dental centres (National Dental Centre and National University Centre for Oral Health) and hospital dental clinics. There are currently 12 dentists with specialised training in geriatric dentistry and another 5 in training.
2 Our dental school currently provides geriatric dentistry teaching in the undergraduate curriculum and a postgraduate training program to give dentists a better understanding of the needs of geriatric patients.