Pilot Dental Programme to Help Elderly to Keep At Least 20 of Their Teeth

It’s pretty common to see the elderly losing their teeth and eventually having to rely on dentures.

This is the case for 72-year-old Madam Lai Sow Fong, who has never visited the dentist in her life.

However, this wasn’t due to the lack of dental issues. Rather, she had lost many of her teeth over the years due to a sweet tooth when she was younger, and hence had felt no need to visit the dentist.

After going for the first dental check-up in her life about two months ago at a community nurse post in Chinatown, Madam Lai now has a fighting chance of retaining her remaining teeth.

Pilot Dental Programme Aims to Help Elderly Keep At Least 20 Teeth

As it turns out, Madam Lai is one of the more than 90 people under a new pilot programme by the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) to receive free dental screening to date.

The programme, the Oral Health Movement 8020, is named as such due to hopes that it would help people here in Singapore retain at least 20 of their natural teeth beyond the age of 80.

Speaking to The Straits Times on Thursday (8 July), Dr Chan Pei Yuan, leader of the Oral Health Movement 8020 programme and a consultant at NDCS’ Department of Restorative Dentistry, said, “research shows that if you have at least 20 teeth, you are still able to function; if you have less than that, you may need dentures or implants.”

A 2016 study in Singapore had previously found that only nine per cent of the population aged 80 and above had at least 20 teeth left, while 30 per cent of those aged 60 and above did not have any teeth at all.

The human adult has a full set of 32 teeth.

Reasons for Tooth Loss

According to Dr Chan, the most common reasons for people losing their teeth as they get older are tooth decay and gum disease, which are preventable with early intervention.

“Many believe that tooth loss is inevitable as we age, but this is untrue. With proper oral hygiene and regular dental screening, it is possible to retain natural teeth into old age,” she said.

Tooth loss can contribute to oral frailty, or the decline of good oral function, and affect one’s choice of food, added Dr Chan.

One’s risk of choking while eating or drinking is increased when one is orally frail or pre-fail, the sage preceding oral frailty.

In addition, as opposed to meat, fruits and vegetables, which are more difficult to chew, those with extensive tooth loss tend to opt for food groups that are high in carbohydrates and fats. Unfortunately, this may lead to malnutrition and poor health.

What the Programme Entails 

Under the new programme, community nurses from Singapore General Hospital will screen residents living in south-east Singapore. To prevent further tooth loss, the nurses will also provide residents with oral health education and encourage good oral care habits.

For example, Madam Lai was reminded to brush her teeth regularly and cut down on sweet treats.

Additionally, those who have been identified as orally pre-frail or frail will be invited to take part in a prevention programme at NDCS. Participants in this prevention programme may also be referred to dentists or speech therapists who will follow up on their conditions.

After six months, these participants will be reviewed to reassess their oral frailty status.

Of those who have been screened since the start of the programme in March, one-third have been found to be either orally frail or pre-frail. The Oral Health Movement 8020, which will last for two years, aims to screen at least 500 Singaporeans aged 40 and above for oral frailty.

According to Dr Chan, this particular age group was selected to allow for early intervention.

While there are systems in place in Singapore to maintain oral health when a person is schooling, there is a gap from early to late adulthood, notes Dr Chan.

“During this period, if they neglect their oral health, they may be faced with decay and other dental issues, resulting in tooth loss by the time they reach 60 years old,” she said.

“Oral health is intricately linked with general health. As such, it is important that we maintain good oral health throughout life,” Dr Chan added, saying that “Studies have shown that maintaining at least 20 natural teeth at the age of 80 and beyond will let you eat well, speak well and age well, thereby improving quality of life.”

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