What is Special Care Dentistry?
Special Care Dentistry is a field of dentistry that aims to improve oral health for people with (developmental or acquired) physical, medical, psychiatric and/or cognitive conditions that require an integrated approach.
The philosophy of integrated-care is needed to formulate an individualised plan for appropriate oral health care.
Patient Landscape in Singapore for Special Care Dentistry
In 2014, there were 450,000 Singaporeans above the age of 65. In 2030, this figure will rise to 900,000. Many of our country’s pioneers will be faced with medical conditions like diabetes, heart diseases or dementia as they enter their silver years. Elderly care, or geriatrics care, is a new chapter of development that Singapore’s healthcare system will undergo.
Disability care is a cornerstone of many forward-looking healthcare. Around 4% of Singapore’s population has some form of disability, such as visual or hearing impairments and intellectual disabilities. The aging population’s medical burden will also contribute to the number of people needing special care. Caring for this group of individual demonstrates the maturity of a society in honoring human rights and welfare.
Due to various disabilities and medical conditions, the teeth and oral cavity can be subjected to many adverse changes. For example:
- Medications can dry the mouth and cause dental decay.
- Diabetes can worsen infection of the gums and cause tooth loss.
- Mental and emotional health concerns can cause the individual to neglect their oral hygiene.
- Blood thinning medications may pose a problem for dental extractions.
- Learning disability and advanced dementia can affect provision of routine dental check ups.
- and many more…
Oral health professionals should therefore seek to understand individual problems and personalise oral healthcare to make it acceptable to everyone alike. This is what the Special Care Dentistry Association of Singapore is set up for!
The SCDAS Philosophy
Good oral healthcare is teamwork! And the team does not just include dentists and dental nurses. For example:
- Speech therapists work to rehabilitate stroke patients; dentists cater dentures specially to make speech improvement faster.
- Dental hygienists do dental cleaning for a patient twice a year; caregivers clean the patient’s teeth everyday, twice a day!
- Medical physicians and dentists discuss on how to best provide dental treatment for a patient, from the adjustments of medicine to the concerns of general anaesthesia.
- Lawyers help individuals who cannot decide for themselves, anymore find the appropriate representative for healthcare decisions; dentists seek help from lawyers to make sure every patient’s treatment is decided in their best interests.
- Oral health therapists seek out dental patients who are confined in bed or staying in nursing homes and provide home (or domiciliary) dental care; dentists get ready at dental clinics to receive these patients who need more extensive dental treatment.
The Special Care Dentistry Association of Singapore is the first association to bring together professionals from different disciplines and put them together to learn, share and discuss about improving oral health and preventing oral diseases. When we break down barriers between professionals, we can also break down difficulties and discrimination that obstruct proper healthcare to this group of individuals we care for.
Special Care Dentistry Association of Singapore 