Dental News - Hundreds of complaints against Singapore dentists in 2017

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 21. February 2018

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SINGAPORE: Despite the high quality of dental work being performed throughout Singapore, there are still occasions when standards are not met. According to the Singapore Dental Association, 270 complaints were lodged against dental practitioners in 2017, including performing of procedures outside of the dentist’s scope, long waiting times, overcharging and dissatisfaction with treatment outcomes.

In a recent report with Channel NewsAsia, Singapore Dental Association President Dr Lim Lii said: “The complaints were mainly due to misunderstanding on both the part of the patient and dentist about the treatment rendered.” She continued: “Due to a lack of proper communication, patients may not fully comprehend the advice like the limitations of treatment procedures given by the dentists. Similarly, the patients may not have adequately expressed their expectations to the dentists, resulting in apparent unmet expectations from the treatment.”

With misunderstandings often leading to lodging of complaints, some Singapore-based dental professionals believe the problem concerns the lack of awareness of the general public regarding dentistry and dental services provided by various types of dentists. Dr Elaine Tan, a consultant in clinical orthodontics at the National Dental Centre of Singapore, told Channel NewsAsia: “I think people have been thinking that all dentists are the same and that their job is just to extract or fill teeth. But in dentistry, we have different specialties.”

There are no current restrictions in Singapore on the treatments dentists are allowed to provide, but dentists are expected to practise within their competencies and encouraged by the Singapore Dental Council to refer patients appropriately according to the body’s ethical guidelines. It is also illegal for a dentist to state that he or she is a specialist in a particular field if not registered in that field with the Singapore Dental Council.

In a move to help combat misunderstandings between patients and dentists and to minimise complaints lodged, the National Dental Centre of Singapore will be initiating a new awareness campaign. Aimed at informing the wider public about oral health and dentistry in general as well as the provision of dental services, the campaign is set to be launched in March.

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One thought on “Hundreds of complaints against Singapore dentists in 2017”

Darren Sng Choon Beng says:

March 11, 2020 at 9:47 am

I feel like I’m being overcharged for my dental treatment. How do I seek 2nd opinions

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