 Greetings from the Faculty of Dentistry (FOD). This issue of Dental Mirror continues to keep members of the wider dental community informed of the events and developments of the Faculty of Dentistry during 2017. In particular, as we are just months away from operationalising the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS), we will be keeping you updated of the progress.
The Faculty is grateful for the opportunity to engage the community and alumni in several of our recent activities. The Alumni Reunion Dinner provided an opportunity for our alumni members to visit the NUCOHS building even though it was still under construction. The hard hat, safety vest requirement, and the dust couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the group who enjoyed the visit to the future home of FOD very much. We were able to engage the community during the Queenstown Oral Health Screening, where together with colleagues from the University Dental Centre (UDC) and the National University Health System Regional Health System (NUHS RHS), we screened more than 40 participants over half a day. In addition, nearly 100 NUS students and staff were provided free screening at our one-day oral health awareness event held at the NUS Central Library Foyer. In all these community outreach events, oral health education was emphasised as we believe that the preventive factor has a significantly larger role to play in the enhancement of oral health than the traditional treatment constituent. These activities are congruent with our intent to reach out and actively engage the community, as part of our, “for the Community, with the Community, in the Community” approach.
This year’s FOD Dentistry Symposium presented an in-depth study to Pain. There was good turnout and vibrant interaction at the event which was well-attended by dental and medical professionals alike. We hope this is the springboard for deepened cross-specialty collaboration in the study of chronic pain conditions in time to come.
I congratulate the award recipients of our 13th FOD Annual Awards Day and the delegation to the 2017 International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE) Annual Scientific Meeting at Taipei. The award winners and Long Service staff are celebrated for their dedication and strive for excellence. They truly make a difference in our workplace, in patient-care and add to the prestige of the Faculty.
As we are in the final lap of the NUCOHS building construction and the impending receipt of Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP), the focus is now turned to operationalising its processes and realising its capability. I thank all staff, alumni, partners and supporters who saw us through the building construction and the operationalisation planning.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition of the Dental Mirror.
Professor Patrick Finbarr Allen
Dean, Faculty of Dentistry |
