District Health Centres to match high-risk residents with dentists from next year

Residents with high-risk oral health problems will be paired with dentists by District Health Centres (DHCs) from next year, Director of Health Ronald Lam Man-kin said on Sunday.

The remarks came at a department’s “Oral Health for Life” festival marking National Love Teeth Day, featuring booth games, information stations and dental health exhibitions.

Delivering his speech, Lam described dental health as a “lifelong duty,” urging residents to build good oral care habits from childhood.

He warned that dental problems such as periodontal disease often show no early symptoms, calling on people to brush twice daily and undergo regular check-ups.

Lam said the city's first five-year plan and the latest policy address set out reforms to promote oral health, in line with national strategies to improve life-cycle health services.

He said government services would cover residents across the life cycle, from children aged up to three to those up to 18, with annual oral screening and preventive care available from a young age.

However, he said about 30 percent of kindergartens had yet to enroll in the preschool dental scheme and called on the rest to join so it could reach full coverage.

For adults, Lam stated that the DHCs will begin matching high-risk residents to dentists in their districts from next year.

Meanwhile, the department will partner with various organizations to provide outreach services to elderly residents in care homes and to people with disabilities.

Speaking at the same event, Department of Health consultant in charge of dental services Kitty Hse Mei-yin said the government is offering broad and basic care to the many, while ensuring deeper care for those most in need.

Hse reported that more than 23 non-governmental organizations were providing oral health outreach to kindergartens, while 32 were supporting tens of thousands of grassroots residents, including the homeless,  via the  Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP).

For elderly care homes, she added that 11 organizations had formed 25 outreach teams, with authorities planning to expand basic community dental services next year.

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