New mobile dental clinic aims to make care more accessible to seniors

A new initiative by the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) aims to make dental care more accessible to seniors in nursing homes here.

- Zhaki Abdullah Correspondent

Madam Toh Yeow Leng, 87, being assisted up a ramp and into the National Dental Centre Singapore mobile dental clinic at Bright Hill Evergreen Home on Sept 26. Her last dental check-up was “many years ago”.

(ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM)

A new mobile dental clinic will be able to travel between such facilities, providing seniors there with dental screening services and basic treatment such as tooth extractions and X-rays.

To better cater to seniors, the mobile clinic includes features such as a wheelchair lift for wheelchair users and knee-break dental chairs, which bend at the patient's knees unlike traditional dental chairs where the legs are fully extended when sitting and are more accessible for those with limited mobility.

Sponsored by Japanese multinational Lion Corporation to the tune of $2.05 million, the mobile clinic aims to screen 1,900 seniors across 10 nursing homes by 2028, beginning with Bright Hill Evergreen Home in Punggol, where the clinic was launched on Sept 26.

The home currently cares for more than 400 patients, with 52 per cent being bedbound and 48 per cent using wheelchairs.