Dental Asia May/June 2020

Under the Spotlight
technology and materials so as to assist and
facilitate dentists in their continuous efforts
in keeping abreast with the latest technology
and evidence-based practice.
Indonesia; Vietnam; Cambodia; and China,
Q & M College of Dentistry hopes to help
more practitioners specialise and serve their
communities better.
be seen as making an impact on those who
hitherto did not have access to quality dental
care, and beyond that, to provide help to the
communities.
Sharing about his most memorable case
in his long career, Dr. Ng said, “The most
complicated is the first case because it
took lot of courage for me to sink my first
implant.”
And if a dentist plans to run his own clinic
one day, Dr. Ng explained that beyond
surgical skills, patient management, and
financial and legal knowledge will also be
crucial.
When COVID-19 hit Singapore earlier this
year, it became a challenge for him to ensure
the wellbeing of his staff. “My full-time job
became acquiring the needed protective
wear,” he said.
It was under the tutelage of Dr. Dominic
Leung that Dr. Ng sank his first implant and
attested that practical provides the best
experience along with proper structured
courses.
“He [Dr. Leung] held my hand to sink in
the first implant and after that, I could
confidently do it on my own,” he revealed.
He also encouraged general practitioners to
specialise so that they can better meet the
needs of patients. By taking in practitioners
from across the region such as Malaysia;
“Dental school has taught all of us to be a
dentist, but it did not teach us how to be a
businessman,” Dr. Ng commented. “Dare
to take risks and manage your people well.
Besides learning what you can, you’ll also
need to delegate, and rely on your finance
and legal advisors, who will help you to
maintain good numbers and stay profitable.”
Taking on a pandemic
“When I set up Quan Min, my aim was to
provide quality dental services not only
to everyone in Singapore, but also to the
world,” said Dr. Ng. In fact, this could also
“Today, we have enough protective gear
(masks, gowns, surgical caps etc.) for our
800 staff in Singapore, 200 in Malaysia,
and 600 in China. When you come to Q & M
clinics, you are actually in one of the safest
places in Singapore. Our doctors, nurses,
and admins are all protected.”
He counts the coronavirus outbreak as a
major challenge in his career. “On the fourth
day of Chinese New Year, masks were out
of stock everywhere in Singapore. Without
masks, how are the nurses and doctors
going to treat patients? I’ve over 800 people
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DENTAL ASIA MAY / JUNE 2020