Dental Asia November/December 2022

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
What are your takeaways from the
pandemic and how do they affect your
vision for SDA?
Dr Yong: I think the main takeaway from
the pandemic is that the profession is
intrinsically and extremely strong and
resilient. Mr Ong Ye Kung, the Minister
of Health, actually mentioned during the
opening ceremony of the International
Dental Exhibition and Meeting (IDEM)
that he was surprised that although
dentists were operating at a lower level,
the reality is that we still have to treat
patients without their masks on. And
despite those challenges, the profession
lived up to its name in terms of infection
control. There were no surprises. I think
that it is a collective responsibility that
has been shown by every member of the
profession. It is definitely not just 1% or
2%. It is a collective effort.
Can you enumerate and briefly discuss
some of SDA’s ongoing projects?
Dr Yong: We are focusing on three
main areas in the near future in
concert with the government. The first
area would be in terms of how are
we going to support members during
the transition process of onboarding
clinics onto the national electronic
health records. The second one would
be in terms of the implementation
of the Health Care and Services Act
recently passed by the parliament.
These areas involve support in terms
of communicating with doctors to
ensure that they understand how
this new licensing affects them and
what they need to do. We are also
working with the Ministry of Health in
promoting public awareness about the
ills of illegal dentistry.
On the association's front, there is
a strong need to support the newly
registered doctors. This could be in
terms of providing relevant courses or
workshops, so that they can continue
to advance their learning, especially
in areas which are not covered
during their undergraduate days. The
second one is in terms of developing
the top and idea leaders of the next
generation. This will involve training
local speakers so that they feel
comfortable to sharing their thoughts
on the regional as well as on a global
platform.
Regarding the IDEM in-person
meeting, what is the significance of its
return for dentists in the APAC region?
Dr Yong: I think we have to look at
IDEM from two angles. The first is
from the angle of the organisers. The
in-person meeting is an extremely
important message to all our trade
partners — that IDEM will continue
to be the frontrunner in terms of
international dental exhibitions, at
least in this region, if not greater.
The second one would be from
the angle of the participants or the
attendees for the trade exhibition or
the scientific conferences. We want
them to feel that besides the trade
exhibition, we continue to have novel
ideas shared by people from different
parts of the world, and we hope
that this will actually inspire them
to continue to come to Singapore in
person simply for the fact that we offer
a superior range of topics or ideas.
How has digital dentistry impacted the
behaviour of patients regarding dental
care?
Dr Yong: From the patient's point
of view, I can tell you that patients
are extremely receptive to digital
dentistry. And the main reason is that
the patient of today is educated. They
understand that there is a science
behind everything that we do, and then
they can see it visually as we present
an image or analysis to them. This
helps doctors to create awareness on
behavioural changes that they need to
do for them to get a better outcome. It
also adds value in terms of presenting
treatment options and monitoring the
progress of the case.
What are your thoughts on dental
tourism?
Dr Yong: Dental tourism will always
be around and the main reason is that
patients would like to get the best
value for money. The issue with dental
tourism is probably in the types of
procedures which are suitable for such
approach. So, for example, it is unlikely
that we will go to a foreign country
for an invasive procedure, because
usually these procedures need a lot
of aftercare. We have to note that the
quality of care is not only in the ability
to do a particular procedure but also
in how well the patient is taken care
of and supported during the recovery
period.
Of course, there are non-invasive
procedures such as teeth whitening
that some people would like to do as
they are vacationing. I think those are
probably less scary, and something
that we should not think too much
about. But what we do not want is
to create the impression that dental
tourism is all about getting it cheap or
about convenience. It should not be
that. Dental tourism, just like normal
dental care, should always have a high
standard of care. That's the important
thing. Anything else is just value
added.
DENTAL ASIA NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2022 21