Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at the official opening of the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS), On Friday, 5 July 2019,10.20am

Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore

Professor John Eu-Li Wong, Chief Executive, National University Health System

Professor Patrick Finbarr Allen, Dean, NUS Faculty of Dentistry and Director, National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore

Board members

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

     It is my great pleasure to join you this morning at the official opening of the National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore (NUCOHS).

2   In September 2015, we broke ground and commenced the construction of NUCOHS. Now, nearly four years later, our efforts have come to fruition. This new 11-storey building is the result of collective efforts by the healthcare family to help Singaporeans achieve good oral health.

3    Oral health is an integral part of an individual’s holistic well-being. Our focus is not just on the treatment of problems, but also on the promotion of oral health and early screening. For example, Health Promotion Board (HPB) offers free oral health screening for preschoolers aged 3 to 4. This year, HPB has provided free oral health screening at over 300 childcare centres over Singapore. HPB plans to reach out to more than 1,000 childcare centres by 2020.

Better access to specialist dental care4    Many oral health problems can be prevented by practising good oral hygiene and care. But for those of us with more complex dental problems, our two National Dental Specialty Centres are there to help them. Together with the existing National Dental Centre Singapore in Outram Campus, NUCOHS will significantly increase capacity for subsidised specialist dental treatment for more severe or complex dental conditions.

5    When its operations are fully ramped up, NUCOHS will be able to see up to 500 patients a day, which is a 40% increase from National University Hospital (NUH)’s current dental patient load, thus providing Singaporeans with better access to a full range of dental services.

Better quality of dental care6    NUCOHS is equipped with facilities and equipment to serve a wider range of patients, such as elderly patients, mobility-challenged patients, bariatric patients, as well as those with special needs. For example, some of the treatment rooms are designed and equipped with hoisting aids to assist patients who are not physically mobile. This also facilitates the transfer of patients who are on wheelchairs or beds to the dental chairs. For patients who can’t do so even with the help of hoists, NUCOHS is equipped with wheelchair tilters which will allow these patients to receive dental treatment while being seated in their wheelchair.

7    In addition, there are four treatment rooms which are larger than usual to handle patients with special needs such as claustrophobia or behavioral issues. Patients can be assured of a safe environment while they receive dental treatment at NUCOHS.

8    As a national dental specialty centre, NUCOHS’s role also goes beyond providing dental services. For example, it also provides training for dentists in the National University Polyclinics.

Strengthening training and research in oral health

9    NUCOHS will not only add clinical capacity to meet the national demand for dental care, but will also add more training places for dentists, including postgraduate specialists in dentistry, and oral health therapists (OHTs). It will also foster closer collaboration between education, research and clinical services. Compared to the previous NUS Faculty of Dentistry, NUCOHS provides an additional space of about 18,000sqm dedicated for training and research purposes. It also houses our dental school in Singapore, providing clinical training for the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Dentistry and Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) Oral Health Therapy course. As the only national dental school, NUCOHS plays an important role in the training of Singapore’s dental professionals to provide safe and quality dental care to Singaporeans.

10    NUCOHS will also build up the continuing dental education and up-skilling of dentists beyond the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree, as this is necessary to meet the evolving dental needs of our population. To prepare the graduates to face the growing needs of the elderly, there will be a new Graduate Diploma in Geriatric Dentistry introduced by the NUS Faculty of Dentistry this year. This is a two-year part-time programme, specially designed to provide dentists with additional training to deliver evidence-informed care to treat the elderly. The inaugural batch of students will be commencing their term in a few weeks’ time.

11    The co-location of training for different parts of the dental workforce will provide more opportunities for inter-professional education in NUCOHS. Trainees will be able to learn how to function as a part of a healthcare team, paving the way for collaborative multi-disciplinary research in oral healthcare and population health for Singaporeans. In addition, both dentists and OHTs in-training can look forward to more personalised learning through the use of innovative educational technology, which will complement conventional methods of training and education. For example, eye-tracker devices will be used to guide students on oral pathology assessments to more effectively read and interpret radiographs. Augmented reality will be used during training to allow trainees to practice key skills such as the delivery of local anesthesia and dental extractions.

12    The close proximity to NUH and NUS will also allow NUCOHS to tap on their medical and academic capabilities to better facilitate the co-management of the medical and dental needs of patients with co-existing medical conditions that make routine oral health treatment more complex. For example, there is increasing evidence on the relationship between oral health and systemic disease, specifically, that between periodontal disease and diabetes. NUCOHS could contribute to the nation’s efforts to prevent and manage diabetes through its research. In tandem with endocrinologists, researchers at NUCOHS are leading efforts to improve the symptoms of oral mucositis in patients with oral cancer, and develop regenerative techniques to repair oral tissues damaged by the disease. The new Centre will be a place for meeting of minds for academics, research scientists and clinicians from dentistry, medicine, allied health and the behavioural sciences. I believe NUCOHS will catalyse the growth of a broad range of collaborative research that can be translated into real-life practice, making a tangible difference to Singapore’s population health and well-being.

Closing

13    In closing, let me once again congratulate NUHS on the official opening of the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore. I am confident that you will play an important part to improve oral health of Singaporeans and together, we will add more quality years to their lives.

Thank you.