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Dr Gabriel Lee Clinches Award at IADR 2022 Conference

At the Faculty of Dentistry, our academics and researchers are actively involved in studies to improve oral healthcare in Singapore.

Recently, Dr Gabriel Lee won the International Association for Dental Research Geriatric Oral Research Group (IADR GORG) Pre-doctoral Award at the IADR 2022 conference with his research topic, "Facilitators of Nursing Home Oral Healthcare in Singapore: Dentists' Perspectives".

“My teammates and I set out to obtain an understanding of the facilitators that could improve oral healthcare for seniors residing in nursing homes in Singapore. This was done via focus group interviews with dentists of various backgrounds and practices,” explained Dr Lee.

Through his research, Dr Lee hopes to establish a better system of finance and dental resources to enhance oral healthcare in nursing homes.

“As Singapore's population continues to age rapidly, we hope to identify how we can improve the level of oral healthcare provided in the nursing homes,” he said.

The study was inspired by the lack of onsite dental care for a number of nursing homes around Singapore. Presently, nursing homes with onsite dental care rely greatly on volunteer dental professionals.

Reflecting on his win, Dr Lee shared that the study would not be possible without support from the Faculty. The project's Principal Investigator, Dr Sayaka Tada was instrumental in guiding Dr Lee throughout the course of their study and presentation. Former Dean of the Faculty Professor Patrick Finbarr Allen, Acting Dean and Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) Associate Professor Wong Mun Loke, and Research Assistant Ms Sarah Koh also contributed significantly to the project's conception, data collection, and analysis.

Dr Gabriel Lee with Dr Sayaka Tada, the project's Principal Investigator

“The award would not have been possible without them and I am grateful for their mentorship and teamwork,” shared Dr Lee.

The research team plans to take his research further by identifying the oral healthcare needs of seniors residing in nursing homes and mapping out how dental professionals can help.

“Personally, I hope that seniors in all nursing homes will be able to routinely receive oral healthcare that is accessible, affordable, and of a good standard of care,” concluded Dr Lee.