Bandar Seri Begawan - Being the main oral health care provider, the Department of Dental Services through the Ministry of Health should play a pivotal role in shaping the oral health landscape in this country.

This statement was shared by Dato Paduka Haji Abd Salam bin Abd Momin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, during his welcoming address as the guest of honour at the opening ceremony for the 3rd FDI/MOH Brunei Dental Convention and Dental Trade Exhibition.

"It is disheartening to note that the oral health of the people of Brunei Darussalam is unfortunately still poor in comparison to other Asean countries.

"Nonetheless, efforts are being made to increase awareness by organising several oral health promotion programmes and community based preventive measures such as water fluoridation and toothbrush drills in schools," he said.

He hopes that these initiatives will provide long-term solutions that will lift Brunei Darussalam from its current position to one that is at par or even the best in the region.
According to Dato Paduka Haji Abd Salam, pain relief alone is not sufficient when there is an increasing demand for comprehensive treatment in primary oral care services.

"We should aim to achieve the target of patients retaining a minimum of 20 functional teeth from premolar to premolar as proposed by the World Health Organisation," he said.

In preserving the dentition of the people, he said that efforts at improving accessibility of clients to early diagnosis and treatment are an integral element of the ministry's strategic goals.

"Apart from increasing the number of primary oral care dental facilities, it is time for the Dental Services Department to consider increasing the out-patient hours in existing primary dental care services and to undertake the challenge to make changes to existing programmes in order to cope with the increasing demand for early treatment from the public," he added.

The third FDI/MOH Brunei Dental Convention and Trade convention together with the trade exhibition is jointly organised by the Ministry of Health and the FDI World Dental Federation, which started yesterday until November 8, located at the Indra Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel and Country Club.

Numerous seminars and workshops are also held in conjunction with the dental convention. Guest speakers Robert Ng from Hong Kong and Dr P Trinos conducted lectures in a number of sessions, which covered the theme 'Teeth of Life' and 'Contemporary Restorative Dentistry'. Other guest speakers include dental practitioners from the United States of America, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Meanwhile; on November 6, three workshops and seminars were held concurrently at different locations. The first was a talk on 'Medical Emergencies in Dentistry Workshop' held at the Civil Service Institute (IPA) followed by a seminar and workshop on HIV/AIDS at the Standard Charted Bank Training Centre, Bunut and lastly, a workshop for Dental Technicians on Basic Dental Ceramics featuring `Ceramco 3' held at the National Dental Centre, Berakas.

The delegation that took part in the sessions included the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), Ministry of Health, Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Department of Dental Services from Brunei and Sarawak and private practitioners.

The convention and trade exhibition will come to a close today at 4.15pm,which will be officiated by the Director General of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Dr Hajah Norlaila bte Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Jalil.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment