News

On 16 May 2026, organised by NUS Centre of Advanced Dental Education, NUS Faculty of Dentistry hosted the Graduate Symposium in conjunction with the inaugural NUS Dentistry–NUCOHS Clinical Dentistry and Research Symposium (CDARS) at the Level 9 Auditorium, bringing together graduate students, faculty members, clinicians, and researchers for a day of scientific exchange and learning.

The morning session featured the Scientific Oral Paper Competition, where graduate students presented their original research across various fields in dentistry. This Scientific Competition drew submissions from Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand, and Singapore. The strong regional response highlighted the growing momentum of dental research and the spirit of international academic partnership. Additionally, presentations highlighted innovative work in both clinical and basic/translational research, reflecting the strong research culture within the dental community.

The competition concluded with the announcement of the top three winners, who were recognised for their outstanding presentations and scientific contributions. Awards were presented by Assoc Prof Raymond Wong, Vice Dean (Graduate Studies and Lifelong Learning).

• First Prize was awarded to Jingwen Li (PhD), The University of Hong Kong, for the presentation titled “From Conventional to Computational: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Oral Potentially Malignant Disorder Evaluation and Management.”
• Second Prize went to Eunice Siew Pei Lua (PhD), NUS Dentistry, for her presentation “Development of Cross-Modality Matching Approach for Pain Phenotyping – Preliminary Findings from Healthy Adults.”
• Third Prize was awarded to Katherine Lau (Master of Dental Surgery, Periodontology), The University of Hong Kong, for her presentation “Changes in Masticatory Function After Initial Periodontal Therapy in Stage IV Periodontitis Patients: A Prospective Clinical Study.”

In the afternoon, Assoc Prof Hu Shijia delivered an insightful and candid talk titled “So you want to be a dental faculty … Are you sure?”, where he shared reflections on his academic journey and the realities of a career in dental education and research.

Professor Peter Svensson followed with a lecture on “The Publishing Landscape in Dentistry – Trends and Challenges”, offering perspectives on the evolving scientific publishing environment, research quality, and the importance of critical thinking in academia.

This graduate symposium provided a valuable platform for knowledge sharing, professional development, and collaboration among the dental community. NUS Dentistry extends its appreciation to all speakers, presenters, judges, sponsors, and participants for contributing to the success of the event.