INCORPORATING DENTAL SCREENING AND MALNUTRITION RISK ASSESSMENT INTO HEALTHIER SG

NOTICE PAPER NO. 820

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 6 MAY 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Elysa Chen

MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question No. 2128

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in view that poor oral health is a primary driver of inadequate nutrition in seniors, (a) whether dental screening and malnutrition risk assessment will be integrated as a routine pathway under Healthier SG; and (b) what plans exist to expand subsidised dental and denture services for seniors at risk of malnutrition.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 818

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 5 MAY 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Elysa Chen

MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question No. 1456

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in respect of recent media reports that about 40 percent of hospitalised patients aged 65 and above were at risk of malnutrition in 2025, (a) whether the Ministry will introduce standardised malnutrition screening at all polyclinics and Active Ageing Centres; and (b) if so, what timeline is envisaged for this.

Answer

1 Mr Speaker, my response will also address the Parliamentary Question 1456 for written answer raised by Ms Elysa Chen for the sitting on 5 May 2026.

2 MOH had addressed the issue of malnutrition screening when we shared our comprehensive approach to tackle senior malnutrition in our response to Parliamentary Question 43 at the 4 November 2025 Parliamentary Sitting and Question 18 at the 3 February 2026 Sitting. We will continue with these efforts, to enhance the capability of healthcare providers to identify seniors at risk of malnutrition and provide better diet and nutrition guidance, as well as ensure the provision of affordable meals.

3 We recognise that good dental health is an important enabler for seniors to have a nutritious diet. We have put in place several measures to help seniors access dental care regularly, including those at risk of malnutrition. First, dental screening is available through Project Silver Screen, where seniors aged 60 and above can receive dental, vision, and hearing screening in community nodes such as Active Ageing Centres (AACs). This enables the early detection of dental problems and referral to CHAS dental clinics for follow-up. To further improve affordability of dental care within the community, CHAS dental subsidies were enhanced in October 2025, extending subsidies for 10 preventive dental procedures to CHAS Orange cardholders and increasing subsidy caps for seven restorative procedures (including dentures) for Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation, and CHAS Blue and Orange cardholders.

4 The Government has introduced different initiatives to tackle malnutrition. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these and play an active role in caring for their own health by adopting good dietary and dental habits.