Training opportunities

Dental officers under our employment are posted to our top public healthcare institutions where they work in teams involving dental specialists and adopt a multi-disciplinary approach towards patient care. This time spent with the specialists is helpful for dental officers, especially if they wish to consider specialising later on.

MOHH's Healthcare Manpower Division holds posting exercises every six months to allow Dental Officers to move through our healthcare system and learn the best practices from different institutions. During the exercise, Dental Officers will be asked to choose one of the following concentrations to focus on.

Community dentistry

To extend knowledge, understanding and clinical skills in general dentistry.

Objectives: Upon completion of the posting, dental officers should have gained experience, knowledge and skills and be competent in:

Taking detailed clinical history and conducting clinical examination and diagnosis of dental diseases and anomalies
Executing accurate charting, recording and documentation of findings, advice and treatment rendered etc
Applying evidence based dentistry in their clinical practice
Identifying high dental caries risk patients
Implementing preventive care programme
Communicating with patients, parents, guardians, caregivers etc.
Rendering emergency treatment in patients with oro-dental trauma
The following basic dental procedures:
1. Scaling and polishing and simple root planning
2. Simple fillings which include amalgams and tooth-coloured restorations
3. Pulpectomy and other endodontic emergencies
4. Simple extractions
5. Orthodontic emergencies and to be able to identify when to refer for orthodontic management
Recognising procedures in which he or she is not experienced, indicate awareness of how and where appropriate further treatment can be obtained

Advance general dental practice

Crowns, bridges, dentures, endodontics and orthodontics (optional)
Objectives:

Crowns

To be supervised for at least one crown case by a prosthodontist
To be able to recognise cases that will require specialist treatment (e.g. full mouth rehabilitation, severe deep bites, severe mal-alignments) and refer accordingly

Bridges

To be supervised for at least one conventional three unit bridge case

Dentures

To be supervised by a prosthodontist for at least one simple denture case (one to five teeth replacement) and at least one simple complete denture case
To be able to perform at least two cases of simple denture repairs
To be able to indicate and manage for immediate denture treatment
To be able to recognise cases that requires specialist treatment (e.g. severe maxillary/mandibular prognathism, very flat or spiny edentulous alveolar ridges) and refer accordingly

Endodontics

To be supervised by an endodontist for at least one endodontic case (either anterior or premolar)
To observe specialist treatment of a molar endodontic case
To be able to recognise cases that requires specialist treatment (e.g. retreatment, retrieval of intra-canal instruments) and to refer accordingly

Orthodontics (Optional)

To be supervised by an orthodontist for management of orthodontic emergencies (e.g. placement of separators', re-cementation of bands, management of soft tissue trauma due to orthodontic appliances etc.)
The dental officers are still expected to carry out general dental work i.e. scaling and polishing, fillings, pulpects, etc. as part of total patient care.

School dental services

To manage the delivery of dental care to the primary and secondary school children so as to achieve a high standard of oral care and dental fitness.

Objectives:

Manage a school dental clinic or a mobile dental clinic
Provide basic dental treatment to preschoolers, primary or secondary school children
Attend to referred cases and provide dental treatment beyond the scope of the dental therapists (DT) such as dentures, trauma cases, root canal treatment of single rooted permanent tooth, dentures
Provide clinical supervision to DTs
Carry out clinical audit on DTs
Provide reports on DTs and DSAs
Conduct oral health promotion programmes, deliver health talks
Participate in community service; provide treatment to the needy and the elderly
Participate in dental research (optional)

Paediatric dentistry

To extend knowledge, understanding and clinical skills in the field of paediatric dentistry.

To provide an environment that enhances interest in paediatric dentistry.

Objectives:Upon completion of the posting in paediatric dentistry, dental officers should have gained experience, knowledge and skills and be competent in:

Taking detailed clinical history and conducting clinical examination and diagnosis of dental diseases and anomalies in infants, children and adolescents and children with special needs
Executing accurate charting, recording and documentation of findings, advice and treatment rendered etc.
Applying evidence based dentistry in their clinical practice
Recognising clinical features of most common relevant systemic disorders in children
Identifying high dental caries risk patients
Implementing preventive care programme
Managing children with dental diseases especially dental caries
Promoting knowledge to the patients, parents and community in the prevention of dental diseases in children
Communicating with patients, parents, guardians, caregivers etc.
Utilising behaviour management techniques in children
Rendering care and treatment in infants, children and adolescents with oro-dental trauma
Carrying out simple prosthodontic, orthodontic (early interventions to correct malocclusion) and endodontic treatment or, in the case of procedures in which he or she is not experienced, indicate awareness of how and where appropriate further treatment can be obtained

Oral & maxillofacial surgery

To gain exposure to the various facets of oral surgery, acquire a good working knowledge of basic oral surgical principles, undertake minor procedures and to identify cases that require referral to a specialist.

Objectives:

Develop history-taking and examination skills
Acquire knowledge of the appropriate investigation tools to aid diagnosis
Attain ability to treatment plan
Gain ability to manage medically compromised patients
Hone skills in delivery of teeth/roots, recognise the possible complications and their management
Understand and manage oral infections
Participate in the management of dentoalveolar trauma
Acquire knowledge of oral lesions, orofacial pain and their management
Develop familiarity with the management of dentofacial deformities and edentulism

Electives

To be able to put in place postings which are currently unavailable. These postings will be proposed to the Committee with guidelines for the postings by the training centre offering such a posting
The Committee will then review and give approval for such postings accordingly
Dental Officers (DOs) who are allowed to do such elective postings would have had at least done three different postings before they are eligible
Such postings will be offered and given to DOs by the discretion of the Committee and will be based on manpower needs and exigencies of services