Proposal to Allow Hospital Dental Clinics to Provide Specialised Subsided Treatment to Serve Patients in Further Locations Given Close Proximity of Dental National Specialty Centres Situated Centrally

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Health considering the close proximity of the current dental National Specialty Centres situated centrally, whether the Ministry can consider allowing all hospital dental clinics to provide specialised subsided treatment in order to better serve patients located in further geographical locations.

Our two National Specialty Dental Centres (NSCs) namely, the National Dental Centre, Singapore (NDCS) and the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS), are referral centres that provide the full range of subsidised dental services, including specialty and sub-specialty dental services.

On the other hand, Hospital Dental Clinics (HDCs) were set up to provide medically-indicated subsidised dental services to hospital patients across inpatient, outpatient and day surgery settings, and HDCs may refer patients to NSCs when services capacity or capabilities are not available at the HDCs. Where appropriate, HDCs can partner the NSCs to provide an expanded scope of subsidised services at the hospital based on services needs and specialty support by the NSCs, subject to approval by the Ministry of Health.