Event & Programme

• Project Concerns HK
• Caritas HK
• Health in Action
• HKU Faculty of Dentistry

• To promote oral health
• To provide oral examination and dental consultation
• To provide oral hygiene instruction, scaling, and emergency extraction

• Branches of Hope
• Medical Outreachers Hong Kong

• To provide oral hygiene instruction
• To provide oral examination
• Fluoride application (if indicated)

• Branches of Hope

• To promote oral health education
• To provide oral hygiene instruction
• Debunk oral health misconceptions

The world average life expectancy is currently beyond 85 years of age in developed countries. More elderly patients are retaining their natural teeth longer into old age--thereby necessitating ongoing restorative dentistry input for their maintenance. Most of the materials that are currently used for direct restorations were developed less than 50 years ago and there is no evidence of such a longevity for these restorations, that would be more likely replaced, renewed or simply refreshed in the lifespan of an aging individual.

Cariology allowed a better understanding of the etiology and progression of caries disease, unloading the burden that had been put not only on the restorative materials but also on the skills of dentists -that are usually expected to be exquisite artists to restore a cavity. Instead, the focus is shifting to achieve sustainable control of the factors that trigger the installation of caries and those that challenge the host along the life span.

On the other hand, different contextual factors may determine the level of oral health education as well as the access to limited or unlimited resources for the provision of oral care. Local or regional policies will allow or restrict the inclusion of vulnerable groups into mainstream system, which will ultimately define the protocols of care for the general population, therefore characterizing developed (or developing) societies.

A comprehensive approach will be discussed during the presentation, weighting factors that might influence the selection of minimally invasive strategies and/or direct restorative materials depending on the age of the patient and his/her social environment (from a Latin American perspective).

• Member: Free of Charge
• Non-member: $200

Despite considerable advances in dentistry, dental caries remains one of the most common and unsolved human infectious disease. Around 90% of young population in the United States has dental caries, while out of all dentate adults almost 94% have evidence of coronal caries. It was forecasted that such occurrence of dental caries is one the driver that propels the growing demand for dental services. There is an urge in demand of adjunctive use of photonic (laser and light) dentistry in a multidisciplinary, minimally invasive and preventive approach that would encourage regular patient attendance to allow for patient education, early caries detection and intervention. Researchers in 1940s demonstrated that by exposure to photons from the sunlight provided a mean of dental caries prevention. A survey of 12-14 years old boys in rural and semirural areas of the United States reported that a 30% increase in the annual exposure to sunshine correlated with a 40% reduction in the incidence of dental caries. Today, Photons technology underpins a wide range of adjunctive applications in daily dental practice from digital-light-processing 3D scanning, to fluorescent-guided caries and oral cancer early detection, and to photo-ablation, photobiomodulation, caries prevention, photo-activated-disinfection and esthetic therapy. The aim of this lecture is to present the “ABCD of light in Cariology”, an adjunctive use of photonic (laser and light) dentistry in a multidisciplinary, minimally-invasive and preventive approach that would encourage regular patient attendance to allow for patient education, early caries detection and intervention.

• Member: Free of Charge
• Non-member: $200

Dental caries remains a public health problem in Hong Kong and worldwide as it affects all age groups with onset in childhood and increases with age over the life course. Dental amalgam, containing 50% mercury, has been commonly used as a restorative material to fill cavities. World Health Organisation considers mercury to be one of the top 10 chemicals of major environmental and public health concern. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty aiming to protect human health and the environment from emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. Minimal intervention restorations using adhesive materials such as glass ionomer cement and composite resin can preserve the natural tooth, making this intervention potentially beneficial to the lifelong oral health of the patients. Minimally invasive interventions may also include secondary prevention, such as fluoride varnish and silver diamine fluoride application. The updated evidence-based information on caries management with mercury-free products and minimal intervention as alternatives to the use of dental amalgam will be presented and discussed.

• Member: Free of Charge
• Non-member: $200

Oral hygiene is an important element in the prevention of oral diseases. While the main stream of maintaining good oral hygiene is by mechanical plaque control, there are still situations where chemical plaque control is needed. Out of all the currently available chemical plaque control methods, mouth rinse is the most easily available and widely used product. Currently there are a lot of mouthrinse products with different active ingredients in the market with different claimed actions. In this seminar, an overview of the available mouth rinse products will be given. A special focus will be given to chlorhexidine, which is a common mouth rinse used in relation to the management of periodontal disease. The related evidence for its use, and prevention of caries and periodontal disease will be discussed and recommendations on the use of these products will also be given.

• Member: Free of Charge
• Non-member: $200

• Sik Sik Yuen
• Bo Ai Foundation Ltd
• Happy Tree Social Services
• The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council
• Lions Club of The Peak Hong Kong
• Second Smile Foundation

• Provide dental checkup, dental preventive treatment, pain relief treatment, dentures and oral hygiene instruction
• Health screening for Alzheimer’s disease