Subsidised dental services available in primary care

We thank Madam Koh Leng Koon for her letter (Patient care, not training, should be the priority; May 12).

She asked why specialist dental treatment could not be offered in all public hospitals.

To bring about convenient access for patients, the Ministry of Health has made subsidised dental care widely available in the primary care setting, which can deal with most dental issues.

Such services are provided in nine of our polyclinics and about 700 Community Health Assist Scheme dental clinics islandwide.

Our two National Speciality Centres - the National Dental Centre and the upcoming National University Centre for Oral Health - serve as the main centres for subsidised specialist care for patients requiring complex dental treatment.

Concentrating specialist dental treatment largely at two national specialist centres enables us to optimise resources to serve patients with complex dental conditions.

The approach is similar to that for other medical specialities.

Lee May Lin (Ms)

Director, Communications & Engagement Group
Ministry of Health

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 27, 2017, with the headline Subsidised dental services available in primary care. Subscribe