Dental Asia January/February 2024

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
healthcare programmes through the Common
Curriculum instead of learning it among
themselves," explained Assoc Prof Wong.
The interdisciplinary collaborative learning,
facilitated by the Common Curriculum, not
only allows students from different healthcare
disciplines to better understand the broad
range of health issues faced by patients; it
also allows them to better understand the
roles and responsibilities of the various
healthcare professionals.
“With an increasingly ageing population,
many older adults may present with medical
conditions alongside their oral health issues.
The co-management of these patients by the
larger healthcare team comprising doctors,
nurses, pharmacists and dentists will ensure
that older adult patients receive holistic,
comprehensive and quality care,” Assoc Prof
Wong added.
In real-world practice, the need to refer
patients for different aspects of care will be
required. Armed with an understanding of
common health issues and the professional
roles played by various members of the
healthcare team, students can better plan
appropriate referrals for their patients when
they graduate and enter the healthcare
workforce in the future. Furthermore,
with students from different healthcare
programmes learning together, they can
also pick up skills on interprofessional
communication.
In addition to increased collaboration across
healthcare disciplines, the new Common
Curriculum seeks to inculcate preventive
health paradigms. As part of the ‘Healthier SG’
vision, the significance of prevention across
one’s lifespan is emphasised. Coupled with
rising developments in preventive health tools
through AI software and data collection, oral
healthcare professionals play an important
role in providing good preventive strategies for
population health.
“Preventive dentistry has always been
a fundamental and pivotal part of oral
healthcare to help individuals maintain good
oral health and avoid the need for complex
treatment. Beyond dental health education,
oral healthcare professionals are also well
positioned to offer opportunistic health
education to promote healthy lifestyles,
including healthy diets and tobacco cessation
advice, among their patients. The Common
Curriculum is therefore well-poised to equip
our students with the knowledge and skills to
help their patients engage in more preventive
health practices," said Assoc Prof Wong.
The shift in healthcare is not only visible
top-down from institutional planners, but
also within a wider public attitude towards
the future of healthcare. Gabriel Tan Yih-
Shyan, a first-year BDS student at the NUS
Faculty of Dentistry, finds the new Common
Curriculum an apt reflection of the healthcare
transformation which has expanded his
perception of dentistry and redefined the very
essence of the roles of dental professionals.
"Prevention is an important part of healthcare.
Guiding patients on the preventive steps they
should take to maintain good oral hygiene and
minimise the need for invasive treatment is an
equally important aspect of being a dentist,”
said Tan. “To do so, dental professionals
must be able to decipher the intricate socioecological
factors influencing their patient’s
oral health."
Tan highlighted how the course on 'Social
and Behavioural Determinants of Health'
shaped his perspective as a future healthcare
professional. “This course underscores the
clinical imperative of transcending mere
diagnoses, encouraging me to view patients
as intricate whole individuals. By assigning
equal significance to the socio-ecological
factors influencing their health, I am better
equipped not just to treat their existing
conditions but to empower them on a
transformative path to holistic wellbeing,”
Tan said.
DATA, APPROACHES, AND
EDUCATION
On the evergreen challenge to “futureproof”
dental students and professionals
in an evolving future, Prof Peck takes the
consideration of how the communities served
are changing and then adapting to these
changes as the first step.
“Across Asia, our populations are ageing,
and there is much diversity culturally,
educationally, and socioeconomically. These
and other social determinants of health
play a large role in shaping one’s oral health
and access to care. Consequently, dental
practitioners need to individualise care so
that it is person-centred, considering the
individual's biological, psychological and social
factors,” said Prof Peck.
Prof Peck explained that this “biopsychosocial”
approach is especially important for the
dental practitioner as the oral and craniofacial
region is important for an individual's physical
and emotional identity, for verbal and nonverbal
communication, mastication, and is
associated with the very important special
senses of taste, smell, vision and hearing.
Specific skills required of a dental practitioner
include cultural competence, an understanding
of the needs of elderly patients and other
groups who are at risk of poorer oral health,
a focus on interprofessional collaborative
practice to integrate oral health in the broader
healthcare context, and communication skills
to deal with the diverse range of health literacy
in our communities.
“Healthcare contributes substantially to
environmental degradation and we all need
to take steps to minimise or reverse this
impact through a focus on sustainable oral
healthcare. A greater focus on preventive care
reduces the need for operative and surgical
treatments and when these are needed, they
should be planned and implemented carefully
ensuring high quality, predictable outcomes.
Advances in the digital workflow and AI can
help here with efficient use of resources and
optimising individualised care," said Prof Peck.
Data literacy skills will empower healthcare
and dental professionals in navigating
transformations in their respective fields (Image:
Unsplash/ Carlos Muza)
DENTAL ASIA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024 23