Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau visited the Prince Philip Dental Hospital today to get a better grasp of its work in training local dental professionals.

Prof Lo and Under Secretary for Health Dr Libby Lee visited the hospital's training facilities including the primary care clinic, comprehensive dental clinic and simulation laboratory.

They also received an introduction on the screening arrangements for teaching patients and details of the hospital's training of dentists and ancillary dental workers.

The health chief urged the hospital to enhance the clinical competencies of dentists and ancillary dental workers, with a view to ensuring a sustainable supply of quality healthcare professionals to meet the growing demand for dental services in Hong Kong.

He then spoke to some student dental hygienists and therapists to learn about their training experience.

Prof Lo said: “Hong Kong has been facing a shortage of dentists over the years, with a particularly keen demand for relevant manpower in the public healthcare sector. This situation of a dental professionals shortage affects dental care services for our community, in particular the underprivileged.

“As such, we are considering to introduce amendments to the Dentists Registration Ordinance, thereby creating new pathways for the admission of qualified non-locally trained dentists to practise in specified institutions, and modernising the regulatory framework for dentists and ancillary dental workers to ensure the adequate manpower support for our public or subsidised dental care services in the long run.”

He added that the Government is actively considering the views and suggestions from various sectors for the formulation of a concrete proposal with a target of submitting recommendations to the Legislative Council within this year.