• Cover Story
• Expressions Spring 2026

Cocreating the Future of Oral Health

HKU Dentistry Launches Global Hub for Future Dentistry

Global Hub for Future Dentistry is a flagship initiative that unites education, research, innovation and outreach under one forward looking vision

The Faculty of Dentistry at The University of Hong Kong has entered a new chapter with the launch of the Global Hub for Future Dentistry (GHFD), a flagship initiative that unites education, research, innovation and outreach under one forward looking vision. Building on the Faculty’s longstanding position as one of the leading dental schools globally, the GHFD is designed to make HKU Dentistry a focal point where the future of oral healthcare is conceived, initiated, tested, and shared with the world.

“Dentistry is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in its history,” said Dean of HKU Faculty of Dentistry, Professor Lijian Jin. “Digital technologies, artificial intelligence, data driven healthcare, demographic shifts and rising expectations for quality, equity and effectiveness are reshaping every aspect of what we do. The Global Hub for Future Dentistry is our strategic response. It is how we will organise our people and resources, ideas and partnerships to lead, rather than follow, these fundamental changes.”

The Faculty of Dentistry launches the Global Hub for Future Dentistry, officiated by Mr Peter Wong (centre), Chairman of the HKU Council; Professor Xiang Zhang (fifth from right), President of HKU; and representatives of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and HKU’s Techno-Entrepreneurship Core

The GHFD is built around three interconnected pillars: future-ready education, future-shaping research and innovation, and future-global and community impacts. Rather than creating a separate unit, the Faculty has conceived the Hub as a crosscutting platform that infuses these themes into its existing strengths in education, research, knowledge exchange and clinical service. The GHFD supports the refined curricula and enhances students’ learning experiences, catalyses interdisciplinary research, and fosters collaborations that extend from local communities to international networks.

Professor James Tsoi, Associate Professor in Dental Materials Science, serves as a Director of the GHFD, who has a longstanding interest in innovation and translation. For him, the term “hub” is no mere metaphor. “We deliberately chose the word ‘hub’ because we are not building another silo,” he explained. “We are building an ecosystem. The GHFD is a place where clinicians, scientists, engineers, data specialists, public health experts, industry partners and policymakers can meet around, share wisdoms and critical questions about the future of dentistry, and then work together to turn those questions into practical solutions.”

A key purpose of the GHFD is to ensure that HKU’s graduates are genuinely future ready. The Faculty recognises that tomorrow’s oral health professionals must be more than technically competent; they must be comfortable with digital workflows, AI-assisted diagnostics and healthcare management, big data analytics, and interprofessional and individualised healthcare. Under the GHFD umbrella, the Faculty plans to embed these elements across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Students can encounter, for example, digital design and 3D printing, data supported decision-making, and rising opportunities to take part in innovative projects, academic exchanges and global competitions that align with the Hub’s themes.

“We want our students to feel that they are studying in the future, not merely catching up with it,” said Professor Jin. “When they learn to use intraoral scanners and computer-aided workflows, when they reflect on the ethics of AI in diagnosis and healthcare management, when they work with peers from other disciplines on a community project, they are already living with the spirit of the GHFD. My expectation is that every student would be touched by this exciting transformation, regardless of the path they eventually take.”

Professor Dong Sun (third from right), the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR government, and Mr Albert Wong (third from left), former CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, and Professor Jin officiated at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Global University Innovation Network (GUIN)

The GHFD is also a catalyst for research and innovation. HKU Dentistry has long enjoyed international recognition for its innovative work in areas such as oral microbiology, craniofacial biology, dental biomaterials, clinical sciences and global oral health. The Hub aims to amplify this impact by promoting more translational, cross disciplinary projects that move swiftly from laboratory discovery to clinical application and community benefit. Themes highlighted on the GHFD platform include smart and sustainable materials, minimally invasive and regenerative approaches, digital and AI-enhanced dentistry, and innovative models of care for ageing and vulnerable populations.

“The future of dental research is convergent,” observed Professor Tsoi. “We will increasingly see dentists working hand in hand with doctors, engineers, computer scientists, data analysts and behavioural scientists. The GHFD provides a structure and culture that make this kind of collaborative teamwork more natural and effective. Success, for us, means not only high impact publications, but new clinical pathways, devices, digital tools and policy changes that improve people’s lives.”

Professor James Tsoi, Associate Professor in Dental Materials Science, is the Director of the GHFD

Equally important is the GHFD’s commitment to enhancing global and community impacts. HKU Dentistry has a strong tradition of community engagement and international collaboration, and the Hub is designed to connect these efforts more explicitly with global health agendas. By linking local initiatives with international partnerships of both dental and non-dental sectors, the GHFD aims to address pressing challenges such as oral health inequalities, the burden of noncommunicable diseases (MCDs), and the great need for resilient, sustainable healthcare systems.

“Oral health is a gateway to overall health and wellbeing,” emphasised Professor Jin. “As one of the world-leading dental institutions, we are responsible to solutions that reach beyond our campus and the community beyond. Through the GHFD, we focus on how our work connects with global priorities and how we can serve as a strategic bridge between Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world.”

Looking ahead, the expectations riding on the GHFD are ambitious. Internally, Professor Jin hopes the Hub acts as a continuous driving force to encourage staff and students in revisiting their teaching and learning approaches, explore new research collaborative opportunities and critically think about Faculty’s impact in broader, more integrated ways. Externally, he envisions HKU Dentistry becoming even more visible as one of the global leaders in reshaping the future of oral healthcare.

“Our expectation is that the Hub would challenge us in constructive ways,” he reflected. “If in the coming ten years we are still teaching and practising in the same way as today, then we fail to fulfil our mission. I want our graduates to be well recognised not only as excellent clinicians, but as innovators, advocates and leaders in their communities and on the global stage. The GHFD is one of the key vehicles that empower us reach that goal.”

Professor Jin meets with the working group of the GHFD

For Professor Tsoi, the success of the GHFD ultimately depends on the people who choose to engage with it. “A hub is only as vibrant as the community that uses it,” he said. “We warmly welcome our students, colleagues, alumni and partners to appreciate the GHFD as their common platform where their most creative and forward thinking ideas can be nurtured, tested and shared. For the future of dentistry, there should be a sweet dreaming home in this Hub.”

As the GHFD begins to take shape through seminars, pilot projects, strategic initiatives and collaborations, it sends a clear signal: HKU Dentistry is highly committed to shape, not simply adapting to, the future of oral healthcare. In doing so, the Faculty extends an open invitation to the Faculty’s members, and the global talents and the partners to join in cocreating a future in which dentistry is more innovative, equitable and impactful than ever before.

Professor Stephanie Ma (third from left), Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), and Professor Xiaobo Yin (right), Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global) of HKU, officiate at the launch ceremony of the GHFD in Qianhai, Shenzhen, China