Speech by SPS (Health) at Dentist's Pledge Affirmation Ceremony, 2008

25 Jul 2008

By Hawazi Daipi

Dr Yip Wing Kong, President, Singapore Dental Council

Associate Professor Patrick Tseng, Chief Dental Officer, Ministry of Health

Members of the Singapore Dental Council

Newly Registered Dentists and your Families

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Thank you for inviting me to grace the 2008 Dentist’s Pledge Affirmation Ceremony. I am indeed delighted to be here this evening. My heartiest congratulations to all the new graduates. I am sure that you and your families are relieved and happy that you have successfully overcome the rigorous demands of dental school.

2. Today, you will be reciting the Dentist’s Pledge. This marks your transition into your chosen career as Dental Surgeons and it signifies your commitment to uphold the values essential to the dental profession – integrity, honesty, care and compassion.

3. The Dentist’s Pledge is not to be taken lightly. The solemn promises that you make today should resonate in your mind throughout your career as a dentist, constantly guiding your professional decisions and actions.

DENTAL TOURISM & PROFESSIONAL VALUES

4. The Ministry of Health is committed to growing and transforming our healthcare sector into an international medical and dental hub. Many patients from our neighbouring countries already turn to Singapore for complex dental treatment demonstrating their faith and trust in the quality and expertise of our dentists. 

5. This, however, should not change the way we practice. We must always strive to provide the best care for our patients, and this should be grounded on sound professional values and not on the status of the patient - whether they are rich or poor, whether they are receiving subsidies or not, or whether they are local or foreign.

6. We should constantly maintain high professional practice standards and ensure that only appropriate, evidence-based care and ‘value-added’ services are provided to our patients. This will eventually attract more and more foreign patients to seek treatment in Singapore.

7. We cannot afford to be complacent. To maintain Singapore as the dental hub of the region, dentists must constantly strive to acquire new skills, update their knowledge and provide better care, thereby raising the profile of dentistry in Singapore.

8. MOH is currently looking into the need for all dentists to update their Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) skills regularly. Together with compulsory continuing professional education, this would ensure that dentists are equipped not only with the technical knowledge and skills of Dental practice but also with the necessary life-saving skills should medical emergencies occur not only in their practices, but outside their practices as well.

9. I understand that Singapore will be the venue for the 2009 FDI Annual World Dental Congress. This speaks volumes about the confidence that the international dental community has in Singapore and our Dental Profession.

10. Even as the local dental community endeavours to make the best of new opportunities, it should never for a moment forget the ethics and values of the dental profession.

CARE FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE YOUNG

11. Singapore is facing a rapidly aging population. You will very likely encounter treatment issues unique to this group of patients in your practice. The majority of the future elderly will be better educated and affluent. As such, they will have higher expectations. They are also likely to live longer and will probably have to actively manage disabilities related to chronic illness as well.

12. As ageing issues are multifaceted and dynamic, we must continue to work in close collaboration with key partners in the community, private sector, as well as across the ministries to ensure that our elderly are provided with the best and affordable dental care that they truly deserve.

13. The other group in our population that deserves our attention are our children. The children of today will be the adults of tomorrow. In order to have a future population with healthy teeth and beautiful smiles, we must invest in the dental health education of our children. As dental professionals, you are not only responsible for the dental treatment of the child patient, but also the education of their parents and caregivers on the importance of maintaining good oral health.

14. To be an excellent dentist, you will need to have strong professional and communication skills. You must be able to educate and manage the expectations of the patient as well as the caregiver. The art of practising dentistry goes beyond the patient’s physical well being, and involves building the patient’s and his family’s confidence and trust in you from a young age.

15. You may have read in the papers that the Ministry of Health is offering 6 scholarships per year to dental officers to pursue postgraduate studies in the areas of Geriatric and Special Needs Dentistry, and Paediatric Dentistry.

16. These scholarships aim to build up these often neglected fields of Dentistry and will further enhance Singapore’s position as a centre of Dental Excellence.  At the same time, it also reflects the government’s commitment and recognition of the importance of dentistry in building a nation of healthy Singaporeans.

INCREASING COST OF LIVING AND DENTISTRY

17. As in many countries, the cost of living here is rising. However, the cost of dental treatment has remained relatively constant and we hope to keep it this way. Nevertheless we must recognize that the rising cost of business may translate to an increase in dental charges in time to come. Any increase in dental charges should however be fully justified.

18. Dentistry in Singapore has seen many new developments lately and some of these would help in keeping dental treatment affordable without compromising on standards of care - the registration and regulation of oral health therapists; the setting up of the dental specialists register and the publication of average dental fees for high-end dental procedures at our public institutions on the Ministry of Health’s web site are among them.

19. Oral health therapists registered with the Singapore Dental Council can now provide basic dental care to the public under the supervision and/or prescription of dentists. The fees for dental procedures carried out by these therapists can be expected to be lower than that charged by dentists. The public can thus enjoy cheaper dental treatment without any compromise on standards and care.  

20. The implementation of the specialists register will be published in the Dental Council’s website within the next few months along with the publication of the average dental fees on MOH’s website. This will help the public seek specialised dental treatment from appropriately qualified dental specialists and keep them informed of the various dental fees charged.

21. Many of you as Dental officers in our public healthcare institutions also provide the crucial manpower required to ensure affordable, appropriate and accessible dental treatment for our subsidised patients.

PUBLIC DENTAL SERVICE - CAPACITY BUILDING

22. Currently, our public dental services are just able to meet the demands for such services. However, the waiting list at the dental polyclinics and some specialised dental treatment at the National Dental Centre are expected to increase. There is certainly a need to review, with our expanding population, if an increase in public dental service capacity is necessary to accommodate the potentially larger number of patients requiring both basic and specialised dental treatment.

23. My Ministry is currently studying this issue. 

CONCLUSION

24. This is an exciting time for dentistry and you, the new dental graduates, are at the edge of a new era of dentistry in Singapore.

25. Your time with the public sector is a time for honing your skills, applying what you have learnt in dental school and learning from the more experienced seniors and specialists you work with. One of the most important traits that make a good dentist is experience - this, however, can only be gained if one is willing to get his hands ‘wet’; so I encourage you all to explore and gain as much experience and knowledge during your time with us in the public sector.

26. In closing, I would like to once again convey my heartiest congratulations to all the new graduates. I wish each one of you a successful and fulfilling career. 

27. Thank you.