Debated in Parliament on 7 May 2024.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) what proportion of Singaporeans visit dentists at least every 12 to 18 months; (b) what is the prevalence of reactive dental care in Singapore; (c) if such data is not currently available, whether there are plans to collect such data in order to obtain a better understanding of the state of dental health in Singapore; and (d) whether there are plans to include dental care in the Healthier SG programme and, if so, when.
Over 50% of Singaporeans visit a dentist at least once a year, with 60% stating the reason for the last dental visit being preventive care and 40% for other reactive dental care.
The Ministry of Health encourages more proactive and preventive dental care. Hence, we put in place efforts to heighten awareness of common oral diseases and their prevention as well as to continuously ensure timely and appropriate dental care is available to all Singaporeans. We will have to review if dental care should and can be included in Healthier SG, which is designed mostly to manage major chronic diseases and other serious conditions, which have been the top causes of ill-health in Singapore.
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