Dental Surgeon - Singapore Dental Association

InsightDr Tan Peng HuiCOL (DR) Tan Peng HuiColonel (Dr) Tan Peng Hui, who is the Commanding Officer of theSingapore Armed Forces Military Medicine Institute (MMI), overseesthe health services in the SAF. He is an endodontist and forensic dentistby training.Dental SURGEON’s Dr Christine Lee recently spoke with him onhow he juggles career, family life and leisure.Dr. Tan, congratulations on yourrecent MOH Award for your workin forensic dentistry. You havedone the profession proud! Whatare your thoughts on receivingthis award? And what is the mostmemorable forensic project thatyou have been to?▶Thank you; it’s indeed a hugehonour to receive the award. I amgrateful to the Ministry of Healthand the Health Sciences Authority(HSA). My most memorableforensic work is spending 5 weeksfor the Disaster Victim Identification(DVI) operation in Phuketfollowing the 2004 Boxing DayTsunami.Leading a DVI team to Khao Lakwith teams from over 30 countriesduring the tsunami in Phuket musthave been a very unique experience.Could you share some memorableanecdote during that timeand the type of skills that becamevaluable?▶It was an unforgettable experience.The tsunami was nature atits worst but humanity at its best.In Khao Lak, expressions of humankindness abound, strangerswere helping strangers. With manyinternational DVI teams deployedthere, diplomacy was the order ofthe day. Although Singapore is asmall country, it clearly punchedabove its weight. The SingaporeDVI Team was deployed tothe worst hit area of the disaster,working alongside the Australiansand the Dutch. Although our teamcomprised members of the SAF,Police and HSA, we saw ourselvesas a whole-of-Singapore team, flyingthe national flag together.You are trained in the fi eld of endodonticsand forensic dentistry.How are you able to juggle yourfamily time with work?▶You know, we have more trainingto be a dentist than to be a parentor a spouse. Parenting is probablythe most important job in theworld yet no one taught us howto do it. We learn on the job andfigure out things along the way. Ijuggle my work-family time in thebest way I know how. Most of mytime outside of work goes to thefamily.TheDENTAL18Surgeon