As founder and CEO of Singapore’s largest private dental healthcare group with 36 clinics and one mobile dental clinic, Dr Ng Chin Siau employs about 100 dentists & therapists and 300 dental surgery assistants. FDI's Worldental Daily spoke to him about dentistry in Singapore and future prospects of the profession.

Worldental Daily: According to a survey conducted by the Singapore Health Promotion Board, 25 per cent of Singaporeans infrequently or never visit their dentist. Can you share with us your views on the state of oral health in Singapore?
Dr Ng Chin Siau: From a Health Promotion Board’s Oral Health Campaign in 2005, we learned that only 46 per cent of adults visited the dentists at least once a year while 85 per cent of adults examined displayed signs of gum disease.

The reasons for these disappointing figures is that many people in Singapore still fear seeing their dentist. In addition, many still view regular dental visits as a luxury, not a necessity and so costs are a big problem. Despite all public efforts, many Singaporeans lack awareness of proper dental care and the government, the Singapore Dental Association and dental suppliers should promote its benefits through activities such as free dental screening or public education campaigns.

Do patients tend to visit their dentists more for regular checkups or for advanced treatment?
In our group, most patients visit for regular check-ups, but more educated patients ask for advanced treatment as well.

Exuding an image of good physical health seems to be a new priority for many Singaporeans.
Do you find this trend being reflected in dentistry?
We all want to look good and feel good, aided by rising influence and increased coverage by various media on cosmetic dentistry. Yes, there is an increasing demand for cosmetic dentistry in Singapore.
The procedures patients are most asking for are teeth whitening, veneers and advanced orthodontics.

Dental implants have seen quite an upswing in recent years. Are Singaporeans in tune with this international trend?
Definitely. There are more patients asking for implants, instead of the conventional dentures or crowns. There are also more dentists seeking training in this field. At the moment, implantology is part of the dental curriculum offered by the National University of Singapore, but only at post-graduate level. There are also many other adhoc courses/seminars/ structured training programmes available, organised by professional bodies in collaboration with the big dental suppliers.

Singapore has one of the oldest running dental schools in Asia. Is the output of dentists per year enough to serve the population?
Although we have one of the oldest running dental schools in Asia, the output is definitely not enough due to the limited number of dental students intake. As a result, Singapore has not enough GP’s to serve our population.

To improve the situation, more foreign degrees should be recognised so that more foreign dentists can practise in Singapore.

Speaking of foreign dentists, the ASEAN group, which Singapore is a part of, has recently opened borders for dentists from the Philippines to practice in all member states. With the excellent working conditions in Singapore, do you expect many foreign dentists to come and work here in the future?
There is not a significant influx of foreign dentists, but I am sure many dentists from other ASEAN countries would like to relocate to Singapore. However, they would have to sit for and pass the Qualifying
Examination (QE) conducted by the Singapore Dental Council (SDC). Unfortunately, I see no visible
results as the Singapore Dental Council has very stringent criteria on who is allowed to sit for the Qualifying Exams, though many of my foreign colleagues’ qualifications are comparable to dentists
in Singapore.

With over 340,000 arrivals in 2007, clinics in Singapore have also become a popular destination for medical tourists worldwide. Does this also relate to foreigners seeking dental treatment?
Yes, it does. I don’t have the statistics for the whole of Singapore but for our group, it is less than 1 per cent with patients coming from Indonesia, China, Japan and sometimes from Europe. So I believe there is much growth potential in this area. However, do bear in mind that most dental procedures cannot
be completed in one sitting and requires multiple visits.

In 2007, the Ministry of Health launched an initiative to improve the standard of dentistry in Singapore by increasing the number of recognised foreign dental degrees, publishing information on dental fees and the accreditation of specialists. Have you seen a recognisable impact as a result of these measures?
Currently there is not much impact, because the public is still not very aware of the various dental specialities. With the introduction of specialist accreditations, however, I hope that patients will be better
informed about the various disciplines of dentistry. This will assist them in choosing the right dentist.

Last year, you started a mobile clinic. Can you tell us something about its progress and outcome?
So far, we have visited about 20 sites, covering junior colleges, tertiary institutions, community centres, selected organisations and schools for the intellectually disabled. To date, I think we have screened about 1,400 patients.

You will be exhibiting at the FDI Annual World Dental Congress in September. What are your personal expectations for this event and what do you anticipate for the dental profession across Asia?
We wish to take this opportunity to introduce Q & M Dental Group to dentists from all over the world. At the same time, we wish to attract specialists from various disciplines to be part of our team at our upcoming 12,000 square feet Dental Centre.

Dentistry is the best profession for me. Dentists in Singapore generally do well and lead a comfortable life if the target market segment is correct and they have reasonably good patient management skills.

Thank you for this interview.

(This interview first appeared in the Advance Issue of Worldental Daily, FDI Annual World Dental Congress Singapore 2009. Photos & text are courtesy of the FDI World Dental Federation.)