• Recognition & Awards
• Expressions Winter 2022

Faculty KE Awards 2022

Oral Health Promotion in Older Adults

From left: Dr Walter Lam, Dr Ollie Yu, Professor CH Chu, Dr Amy Wong, Dr Katherine Leung, Dr Conson Yeung, Dr Duangporn Duangthip and Dr Iris Yin

Project “Promoting Oral Health of Non-institutionalised Older Adults with A Non-governmental Organisation in Hong Kong” led by Dr Amy Wong, Senior Clinical Practitioner in Cariology won the latest Faculty KE Awards 2022.

In Hong Kong, most older adults are non-institutionalised with limited subsidies from the government. As a result, a lot of them could not afford oral health care services. In response to this and to promote the oral health of non-institutionalised older adults, HKU Dentistry has worked with an NGO in Hong Kong, Project Concern to empower the community since 2014. The Faculty and Project Concern dedicated themselves to promoting oral health in 17 districts, providing free dental check-up, pain relieve by emergency tooth extraction, preventive treatment of fluoride application and oral health talks in local community centres and mobile dental vehicle units. In the past decade, over 2000 older adults have benefited from the services.

Through the project, Dr Amy Wong (front row left fourth) wishes to provide oral health services for the elderly and help dental students and volunteers develop a sense of social responsibility

“It feels great to help people in need, particularly older adults in the community. This is not an honour for myself but all my team members,” said Dr Amy Wong. She extended appreciation to other team members: Professor CH Chu, Clinical Professor in Cariology; Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Senior Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences; Dr Walter Lam, Clinical Assistant Professors in Prosthodontics; Dr Katherine Leung, Clinical Associate Professor in Prosthodontics; Dr Conson Yeung, Clinical Practitioner in Cariology; Dr Iris Yin, Clinical Practitioner in Restorative Dental Sciences and Dr Ollie Yu, Clinical Assistant Professor in Cariology.

The winning project enhances oral health awareness to the public, empowers NGOs to provide related services and benefit those in need. It also engages dental students and volunteers and help them develop a sense of social responsibility and willingness to give back to the community in life.

The team is delighted to receive the KE Award, but what gratified them the most was the knowledge transferred from the Faculty to a local NGO, allowing the latter to apply and get grants from Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Fund during 2014-2022. The grants have been used to promote oral health and provide free dental services to underprivileged groups in Hong Kong.

“The winning project enhances oral health awareness to the public, empowers NGOs to provide related services and benefit those in need. It also engages dental students and volunteers and help them develop a sense of social responsibility and willingness to give back to the community in life,” concluded Dr Wong.

The Faculty of Dentistry has been empowering an non-governmental organization - Project Concern Hong Kong to promote oral health in local community centres