Mr Wong Yew Meng
Chairman
Health Promotion Board

Mr Ng Lee Huat
Principal of Nan Chiau High

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to be here today to launch the secondary school dental health programme.

About 50 years ago, just after the war years, the state of dental health among Singaporeans was poor. The decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index in 1949 was 15, which meant that on an average, people barely had half a set of good teeth in their mouths.

Singaporeans then were losing their teeth to the ravages of dental and gum diseases. Many were too poor to seek dental care. By the time they sought treatment, their condition was often so severe that extractions were the only remedy.

Dental care facilities then were also scarce. There was lack of manpower and no infrastructure in place for public dental health services.

A key strategy adopted by the Ministry of Health to prevent dental caries was fluoridation of water. In 1957, all public water supply in Singapore was fluoridated with a concentration of 0.7 parts per million of fluoride.

A ten-year study of fluoridation of water in Singapore carried out from 1958 to 1968 showed that fluoridation had lowered the rate of dental caries in children by 30%.

Another key strategy was to prioritise the provision of dental services to two groups of people, namely children and mothers. This would not only improve dental health but also raise dental health awareness from young.

School dental clinics were developed in primary schools in the 1950s, in tandem with the schools development plan. These clinics provided free dental services to school children. To reach out to antenatal mothers and preschool children, outpatient dental services were made available at the Maternal and Child Health clinics. To facilitate this rapid expansion of the service, dental auxiliary staff, dental therapists and Division 2 dentists were trained to deliver basic dental care for school children.

Today, the Health Promotion Board through its School Dental Service operates 174 field dental clinics within primary schools, 3 mobile dental clinics and a School Dental Centre in HPB, to provide basic oral health care services to all primary school children.

These include preventive services such as scaling, polishing, fissure sealants, chair-side oral hygiene instruction, and treatment such as fillings and extractions as well as talks and exhibitions in schools to promote good oral health. Students are called from class for routine dental care. They can also attend the dental clinic on a walk-in basis for urgent treatment. Those who require more complex treatment are attended to by dental officers while those who require specialist treatment are referred to the National Dental Centre.

Last year, 96% of all primary school children were enrolled in the school dental service programme. About 290,000 (99.5%) of these children were given at least one dental check-up during the year and 277,000 or 95% were rendered dentally fit. A survey indicated that 99% of patients or parents were satisfied with the service provided.

The oral health status of Singapore children has improved tremendously over the last few decades. The DMFT index for 12-year-olds has been 1 since 1994. This means that on an average, 12-year-olds have only one decayed, missing or filled tooth.

In 1993, a study was done to compare the dental health status of secondary school students in schools which received routine dental care from nearby primary schools and those who did not receive any school- based care. The DMFT index of the secondary school children without routine treatment was statistically higher than that of those with routine treatment. Gum disease was also more prevalent among the students in the schools without dental services. The latest survey carried out last year on 18-year-olds showed that the DMFT index was 2 compared with a DMFT of 1 among 12 year-olds.

To ensure that the good oral health status is maintained beyond primary school, my Ministry has decided to extend the provision of dental services to all secondary schools. Over the next 6 years dental clinics will be built in 53 secondary schools. In addition 20 mobile clinics will be fully operational by the end of this year.

I have been informed that the first school dental clinic under the extension programme has been completed at Jin Tai Secondary School and 3 new mobile dental clinics are operational. The new mobile dental clinics are more spacious than the old bus-chassis type and are better equipped, each having its own X-ray facilities.

Dental therapists are the main providers of the School Dental Service. However, HPB has also invited general dental practitioners to provide basic dental care to secondary school students at the school dental clinics and mobile clinics. It is encouraging that general dental practitioners from 23 dental practices have agreed to collaborate in this programme.

The strong support of the Ministry of Education, especially in allocating premises within schools and in developing the clinics, has been a key factor which has contributed to the success of the dental health programme. Without the co-operation of the principals and teachers too, the primary school programme could not have been successful. I am certain that with their continued support the secondary school programme will improve the oral health of the students.

On this note, I am pleased to launch the Secondary School Dental Health Programme.

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