Summary:
- National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) has launched a mobile dental clinic to provide seniors in nursing homes with screenings and treatments like scaling, fillings, extractions, and X-rays for $10 or less.
- The clinic is equipped with senior-friendly features such as a wheelchair lift and a specialised dental chair, ensuring accessibility for residents with mobility challenges.
- Supported by a $2.05 million sponsorship from Lion Corporation, the initiative aims to reach over 1,900 seniors by 2028 and will partner with nearby dental clinics for continued care.
Seniors in some nursing homes will soon be able to receive dental screenings and basic treatment from as low as $5, thanks to a new mobile dental clinic by the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS).
At the clinic, everything from scaling, fillings, and extractions, to topical fluoride therapy and dental x-rays, will be available for seniors at $10 and below.
The mobile dental clinic comes with senior-friendly features like a wheelchair lift and a dental chair which allows patients to bend their legs at their knees.
The initiative was made possible with a $2.05 million sponsorship from Japanese multinational manufacturer Lion Corporation, whose stable of brands include oral care labels like Systema and Kodomo.
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Next steps for NDCS’ Mobile Dental Clinic
Credit: NDCS
Beginning with Bright Hill Evergreen Home in Punggol, the mobile clinic is set to screen more than 1,900 seniors by 2028. Next on the list of destinations for the mobile dental clinic are St Luke’s Eldercare Residences in Punggol and Ang Mo Kio.
Plans are already in motion to extend the dental care provided beyond just the initial screening. Residents with mobility challenges can continue to receive dental services at the mobile clinic, while bed-bound residents will be referred to public healthcare institutions.
NDCS will also establish partnerships with dental clinics within 1km of partner nursing homes, allowing residents to conveniently seek dental care even after the mobile clinic has moved on.
To facilitate this, the community dental clinics will be issued with a memo from the mobile clinic detailing patients’ needs. In turn, NDCS will support the clinics with lectures and training on how to manage silver patients.
The concept for the mobile dental clinic was first mooted during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the need to provide safe, accessible oral healthcare for underserved communities was especially prescient.
The mobile dental clinic serves as the specialty centre’s next step in its plan to restore the smiles of Singaporean silvers, which includes education programmes for non-dental healthcare professionals and the Tele-Dentistry Oral Care for Seniors (T-DOCS) programme, which provides vulnerable seniors with teledentistry.
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Oral health needs
The 2019 National Adult Oral Health Survey found that 64% of people aged 65 and over have fewer than 20 teeth, which significantly hampers them from chewing, speaking, or performing other oral functions.
A further 31% of them have untreated dental caries (tooth decay), while 33.8% have severe gum disease. One in eight seniors have no teeth at all.
The numbers are even worse in nursing homes. According to data from the NDCS’ T-DOCS programme, 84% of 210 residents in five participating nursing homes had fewer than 20 teeth. Meanwhile, around four in ten had completely lost their teeth.
"The Mobile Dental Clinic bridges this critical gap, reflecting our commitment to equitable oral care access and our dedication to strengthening Singapore’s broader healthcare system through proactive screening and prevention."
