Dr Ho Kok Sen, Dental Specialist in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, travelled to Yangon, Myanmar last Saturday (4 July 2015) to give a talk at the Singapore Medicine – Health Awareness Seminar. Here is a short interview our colleague had with him to find out more about his experience.
Dr Ho, I heard it was your first time visiting Yangon, Myanmar. What was your experience like?
It was certainly very good and rewarding. I had the opportunity to meet up with some of the Executive Committee Members of the Myanmar Dental Association. Through their insightful sharing, I got to learn more about the situation of the dental industry in Myanmar.
I am also glad to meet new friends and catch up with old friends who are fellow speakers at the seminar. They are medical specialists from established healthcare organisations in Singapore. It was an enriching experience to exchange ideas and information with them over our tea breaks and dinner.
I am sure you know that Singaporeans love food. Any food in Myanmar that you would like to recommend for fellow Singaporeans to try when they are in Yangon?
Mangoes! You must try them when they are in season. They are bright yellow and have flesh that are juicy and sweet.
What was your talk about?
As an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, I specialise in using surgical methods to correct diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial area. That is why I decided to share on the different types of oral surgery and dental implants with our friends in Myanmar.
Participants learned about how we attended to patients with extra teeth, impacted teeth or buried teeth; how we treat patients through jaw surgery and how we removed oral tumour or oral growth found in patients.
As for dental implants, I introduced some of the latest techniques that we use to help patients who are missing one tooth, a few teeth or all their teeth, to regain a beautiful smile and eat their favorite food within the day.
What do you think are some of the dental-related concerns that our potential patients from Myanmar might have?
After chatting with a few of the participants, I realized that some of the barriers that are preventing them from visiting a dentist include fear of pain and discomfort. We know that this can be quite a concern even for our patients in Singapore, which is why at Specialist Dental Group, we offer the option of dentistry as you sleep via intravenous sedation. Through this method, your dental treatment would be completed by the time you wake up.
Thank you for the interview.
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