• Award
• Expressions Summer 2022

KE Excellence Award

From right: “Promoting Child Oral Health and Managing Tooth Decay in Preschool Children” team members: Professor CH Chu, Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Professor Cynthia Yiu and Professor Edward Lo

Academic Staff Recognised for Dedication to Early Childhood Caries Control

The project “Promoting Child Oral Health and Managing Tooth Decay in Preschool Children” led by Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Senior Clinical Practitioner in Cariology, won the university-level Knowledge Exchange (KE) Excellence Award 2021. Other team members included Professor CH Chu, Clinical Professor in Cariology; Professor Edward Lo, Chair Professor in Dental Public Health and Professor Cynthia Yiu, Clinical Professor in Paediatric Dentistry.

Rise of the Project

Untreated tooth decay in primary teeth creates a significant economic and health burden, affecting over 620 million children worldwide. The latest oral health survey conducted by the Hong Kong Government in 2011 found that half (51%) of the 5-year-old children had dental caries and over 90% of the decayed primary teeth were untreated. In addition, 75% of the 5-year-old children in Hong Kong have never visited a dentist.

Dental caries, though largely preventable, is a significant public health problem among preschool children in Hong Kong and in many countries. Untreated caries leads to pain and infection which affect children’s oral health-related quality of life. Traditional treatment using restorative approaches, such as dental filling and crown, causes dental fear among children (even parents!). The treatment costs are beyond the financial capabilities of many families from disadvantaged communities. In view of this, “A call for pragmatic action on how to improve child oral health in a feasible, cost-effective and sustainable way arose,” said Dr Duangthip.

A group of masterminds, Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Professor CH Chu, Professor Edward Lo and Professor Cynthia Yiu, thus initiated the project with the objective to improve the oral health of preschool students by adopting non-invasive and economical treatments.

Dr Duangthip (left) conducts oral check-up at kindergarten

Soul of the Project, SDF

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) solution treatment was clinically researched as a safe, effective and cost-friendly solution for caries control. Based on the results of the bibliometric analysis in 2021, “We are the top contributors regarding the SDF research, reporting the highest number of SDF research publications. We also lead the way in citations and productivity,” said Dr Duangthip.

The research and KE work on the use of SDF for caries management have drawn the attention of the dental profession internationally. The team was invited to be a working group to support the global oral health policy in the application of the SDF inclusion in the WHO model list of Essential Medicines in 2021. As a result, SDF is included in the dental section of WHO Model List for the first time. The list is currently used as a guide by more than 150 countries. Moreover, the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry developed the guideline on the SDF use for caries management in children based on the research evidence.

We are the top contributors regarding the SDF research, reporting the highest number of SDF research publications. We also lead the way in citations and productivity

Benefiting Pre-schoolers

With the promising research results of SDF in arresting dental caries, the Faculty has implemented preschool oral health promotion programmes (such as pilot schemes) since 2008. Because of the multiple pervious translational research and KE projects in promoting oral health and managing caries in children, there was an impressive reduction in the prevalence of dental caries among the participating children from 43% to 34% in less than a decade (from 2010 to 2019).

Such significant impact led to the funding from the Jockey Club Charity Trust enabling the Faculty to establish a kindergarten-based dental care project - “Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project”. It is a territory-wide outreach project using SDF for arresting caries among Hong Kong preschool children.

The project, launched in 2019 and to be completed in August 2022, aims to benefit local preschool children by preventing and halting their tooth decay; to enhance dental knowledge and improve the attitudes towards oral health of parents; as well as to empower kindergarten teachers to promote the importance of oral health to preschool children.

Dr Duangthip (middle) hopes the preschool oral health project can positively influence policies on child oral health

Hat Tip

Dr Duangthip’s relentless efforts and unflinching dedication, along with the success of the project brought her the Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award 2021. Being awarded, she is full of gratitude. “I am very grateful to Professor CH Chu, Professor Edward Lo and Professor Cynthia Yiu, for their support, guidance and encouragement over the years.” She also appreciates the clinical practitioners cum teammates, as well as part-time dentists, supporting staff and everyone who has contributed and committed to the project. “Last but not least, special thanks to all the kindergarten teachers and NGOs for their support and collaboration,” she continued.

Dr Duangthip hopes the preschool oral health project will be sustainable. She plans to collect evidence on how research can translate into benefits for society. “I believe child oral health will gradually improve over the years and do hope that the results of the project will positively influence the child oral health guidelines or policies in the future,” she concluded.

The Faculty congratulates Dr Duangthip and her teammates for such outstanding achievement! Together with other members, the Faculty strives to work on various wide-ranging KE activities that benefit the community at large by sharing knowledge, skills and resources in dental and oral health care.