• Cover Story
• Expressions Winter 2024

Boost for Preschool Oral Health Campaign

Hong Kong Jockey Club renews support for Faculty outreach to kindergartens

The HKU Faculty of Dentistry has secured two additional years of sponsorship from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, enabling it to continue an outreach project dedicated to improving the oral health of Hong Kong’s young children.

The funding extension, to August 2026, marks the second phase of the Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project, which began as a five-year community outreach programme launched by the Faculty in 2019 and supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The initiative fills an unmet need by providing Hong Kong’s first and only citywide free preventive oral healthcare service for all preschoolers. Promoting oral care for children’s first set of teeth can lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles and overall well-being, benefiting key processes such as proper development of the teeth and jaw, nutrition and digestion, speech development, and establishing good oral health habits.

From left: Professor Xiang Zhang, Professor Chung-mau Lo, and Ms Imelda Chan officiate at the Phase Two project launch ceremony.

Phase Two of the Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project was officially launched at a ceremony held on 23 July 2024 at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital. In attendance were members of the Faculty project team, along with participating kindergarten pupils and parents/guardians. Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU; Ms Imelda Chan, Head of Charities (Healthy Community) of the Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Professor Chung-mau Lo, Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government, were invited to officiate at the ceremony.

In his keynote speech, Professor Lo acknowledged how the Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project has been instrumental in providing essential preventive care to young children across the city, fostering a healthier community. “This [project] is in line with the Government’s policy of developing primary dental services to help citizens in preventing dental diseases and protecting their teeth,” he said. “I would like to extend my gratitude to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for its donation, the excellent team of dentists from the HKU Faculty of Dentistry for providing check-ups and treatments to the students, and the participating schools for their support.”

Professor Chung-mau Lo delivers a keynote speech at the launch ceremony.

Under the leadership of Professor Chun-hung Chu, Chair Professor in Family Dentistry and Clinical Professor in Cariology, the Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project features a Faculty roving clinic that visits kindergartens to offer regular oral check-ups and control of early dental caries (tooth decay) by applying silver diamine fluoride. The project team also organises educational activities for kindergarten pupils, their parents/guardians, and their teachers, emphasising the principles of “Prevention is better than cure” and “Safeguard our children through oral care”.

This [project] is in line with the Government’s policy of developing primary dental services to help citizens in preventing dental diseases and protecting their teeth.

Between 2019 and 2024, Phase One of the project delivered over 190,000 oral examinations and administered over 230,000 applications of silver diamine fluoride in a total of 115,775 children in 754 kindergartens. Importantly, no adverse effects of treatment and no cross-infections during the COVID-19 pandemic were reported.

Phase Two of the project will further enhance outreach efforts, ensuring that even more preschool children have access to and receive high-quality dental care and education on maintaining good oral health and hygiene.

Officiating guests, project team members, and kindergarten children and their parents/guardians at the launch ceremony.

A kindergarten pupil receives an oral check-up during the Jockey Club Children Oral Health Project.

A kindergarten pupil receives silver diamine fluoride treatment to control early tooth decay.

A project dentist uses a mouth model to teach kindergarten pupils about oral health.

Kindergarten pupils learn about good oral hygiene practices at an interactive workshop.

Dr Conson Yeung demonstrates oral health education techniques at a teacher training workshop.