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S’pore’s first dental clinic for elderly, special needs patients opens

SINGAPORE — For 21 years, Madam Jothi Marimuthu never took her special needs son to the dentist out of fear that he would become agitated. She had heard stories about how such children had to be wrapped up in a blanket or medicated during their dental treatment.

Mr Douglas Dutt Robey does not need to leave his wheelchair to get a dental check-up at the Geriatric & Special Care Dentistry Clinic. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

Mr Douglas Dutt Robey does not need to leave his wheelchair to get a dental check-up at the Geriatric & Special Care Dentistry Clinic. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — For 21 years, Madam Jothi Marimuthu never took her special needs son to the dentist out of fear that he would become agitated. She had heard stories about how such children had to be wrapped up in a blanket or medicated during their dental treatment.

“I was very worried because I heard other parents telling me all kinds of nightmare stories … of how their kids are …. medicated or how they screamed and yelled. It is very traumatising,” said the 46-year-old housewife.

But her fears were allayed after her son Kiran Raj S Vanu — who has global developmental delay, an intellectual disability due to epilepsy — started his dental treatment at the Geriatric Special Care Dentistry Clinic in January.

Mdm Jothi was referred to the clinic after she tried to make a dental appointment with her son’s neurosurgeon to check if his wisdom teeth were growing out.

The clinic, which officially opened on Tuesday (June 21), is the first in Singapore to cater to the elderly and patients with special needs.

It is located at the National Dental Centre Singapore in Outram.

At the clinic, the dentist had asked about Kiran’s favourite things, such as the music he enjoyed, and played it for him so he could relax during treatment.

The dentist also got Mdm Jothi to buy an electric toothbrush to make it easier for Kiran to brush his teeth, and taught her how to massage his face so he could relax his jaw before brushing his teeth.

Kiran is now able to brush his teeth on his own after his monthly visits to the clinic.

Associate Professor Poon Choy Yoke, director of the National Dental Centre Singapore, noted that oral health is a “critical but often overlooked” component of overall well-being for geriatric and special needs patients. Their conditions often affect their ability to care for their oral hygiene or to communicate with dental professionals.

The new clinic has seen more than 4,000 patient visits since it started operations in September.

A second geriatric and special needs dentistry clinic at the National University Health System is expected to be ready in 2018.

The clinic is also equipped with age-friendly design features.

For instance, Mr Douglas Dutt Robey Hara Mohan Datta, 66, does not have to be moved from his wheelchair for treatment, thanks to a wheelchair-tilting device that allows the dentist to treat him while he remains seated in it.

Other features at the clinic include more spacious walkways, larger waiting areas and dental chairs, handrails and low counters.

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