Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (January 21):

Question:

     This Council passed on July 10, 2024 the amendments to the Dentists Registration Ordinance (Cap. 156) in order to provide new pathways for admission of qualified non-locally trained dentists to practise in specified institutions and introduce a statutory registration system for dental care professionals (DenCPs). The Department of Health (DH) also commenced the recruitment of non-locally trained dentists in the same month. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the following information regarding the recruitment of non-locally trained dentists by specified institutions listed in Schedule 4 and Schedule 5 to Cap. 156 since July 10, 2024: (a) the number of applications received for posts, (b) the number of persons participating in interviews, and (c) the number of conditional offers issued, with a breakdown by type of institution (i.e. (i) DH, (ii) the Hospital Authority, (iii) the University of Hong Kong, (iv) the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, (v) the Vocational Training Council and (vi) other non-governmental organisations (NGOs);

(2) among the cases in which conditional offers have been issued as mentioned in (1)(c), how many recipients of the offers have subsequently applied to the Dental Council of Hong Kong for (a) limited registration and (b) special registration to practise dentistry locally, and how many of such applications have been approved, with a breakdown by institution that employs the applicant and by region in which the applicant obtained the qualifications required for dentists;

(3) in the past two years and in this year so far, of the respective staffing establishments, strength, attrition rates and numbers of resignations (with a breakdown by the age group and years of service of the resigning staff) of dentists and various DenCP grades of the Government;

(4) given that DH has been offering full tuition fee sponsorship since the 2023-2024 academic year to students studying training programmes for dental hygienists and dental therapists, among the graduates who have received the sponsorship, of the current proportion of those who stay in their posts after completing the one-year service at dental clinics of DH or specified NGOs; whether the authorities have formulated key performance indicators in respect of the retention rate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) given that the Government indicated in the reply to my question on October 30, 2024 that it would make full use of the existing primary healthcare service system to put into action a dental care system that focuses on prevention, early identification and timely intervention, of the respective numbers of consultations for preventive primary dental services that can be provided at various District Health Centres and of the beneficiaries in the first three years of implementation of the statutory registration system for DenCPs according to the authorities' anticipation;

(6) given that the Government indicated in the reply to my question at the meeting of the Panel on Public Service of this Council on November 18, 2024 that it took note of the changes in the duties of DenCP grades as a result of the amendments to Cap. 156 and it intended to conduct a review of matters such as their entry requirements and remuneration, of the progress of the relevant work so far; and

(7) whether the authorities will consider inviting private dental clinics to participate in the Community Dental Support Programme in order to further increase the service supply; if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Oral health is an integral part of general health, crucial to an individual's well-being, daily life, and healthy ageing. Dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs) (including dental hygienists and dental therapists) are part of the professional healthcare system. The Government attaches great importance to their manpower supply. In addition to increasing the University Grants Committee-funded training places for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme, the Government previously amended the Dentists Registration Ordinance (the Ordinance) to establish new pathways for the admission of non-locally trained dentists. The amendments also introduced a statutory registration system for DCPs to recognise their professional status and adjusted their scope of practice moderately based on risk-based principles, enabling DCPs to play a more important role in primary oral healthcare.

     Regarding the question raised by the Hon Lam Chun-sing, having consulted the Dental Council of Hong Kong (DCHK), the reply is as follows:

Latest developments in dental care services

     In 2024, the Government released the final report of the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care and formulated a corresponding Oral Health Action Plan with reference to the strategic recommendations in the report. These include widely promoting prevention-oriented primary oral healthcare among citizens across all age groups, and providing essential dental care services targeting underprivileged groups.

     Under the strategy of developing community-wide preventive primary oral healthcare, the Government strengthens primary healthcare services through District Health Centres (DHCs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by providing services such as oral health education, oral hygiene instruction and risk assessment in the community. Making reference to the implementation progress of the statutory registration system for DCPs, the Government plans to arrange dental hygienists to provide services at designated DHCs/DHC Expresses and assist the DHCs/DHC Expresses in providing the aforementioned oral health care services to designated high-risk groups in collaboration with relevant dental clinics, with a view to extending to DHCs/DHC Expresses in all 18 districts in Hong Kong in phases.

     Under the strategy of provision of essential dental services targeting underprivileged groups, the Government launched the Community Dental Support Programme (CDSP) in May 2025 to provide additional government-subsidised dental services to the underprivileged groups with financial difficulties. Currently, 32 NGOs are participating in the CDSP, providing over 80 service points to eligible service users covering all 18 districts in Hong Kong. As at December 31 last year, over 5 700 participants had used the service. The Government will continue to monitor the service utilisation and demand of the CDSP, conduct review at appropriate juncture and explore increasing service units and service points subject to needs and resource availability.

Dental care professional manpower

     Since the Legislative Council passed the amendments to the Ordinance in July 2024 to allow qualified non-locally trained dentists to practice in Hong Kong, the Department of Health (DH) has conducted global recruitment exercises. The DH recruited full-time Contract Dentists (General Dentistry) on non-civil service contract terms. A total of over 90 applications from non-locally trained dentists were received. Twelve offers were issued for non-locally trained dentists to apply for limited registration after rigorous selection. Among them, 11 have reported for duty at the DH in 2025 after the limited registration were approved by the DCHK. A new round of recruitment for full-time Contract Dentists (General Dentistry) commenced in November 2025, and the relevant appointment procedures are in progress.

     As at end-2025, the DCHK received a total of 22 applications for limited registration, of which 19 were approved. The applicants came from regions including the Chinese Mainland, the United Kingdom and Malaysia, with 11 working at the DH and eight at the University of Hong Kong. The detail of the number is at Annex I.

     The Government is committed to increasing the manpower resources for dental care professionals, and had gradually increased training places for dental hygienists and dental therapists. The number of training places has more than doubled from 95 in 2023/24 academic year to 220 in 2025/26 academic year. As at the end-2025, there are a total of 682 registered dental hygienists, whereas 238 dental therapists (note) are working in the DH.

     To attract more young people to join the industry, the DH has been offering full tuition fee sponsorship since 2023/24 academic year to students studying the programmes for dental hygienists and dental therapists. Dental hygienists and dental therapists who have received the sponsorship are required to work in dental clinics of the DH or other designated NGOs for at least one year after graduation. The above measures could help provide sufficient manpower to support the Government, private institutions and NGOs in launching various dental care services in future. The first batch of 15 dental therapist students and six dental hygienist students receiving full tuition sponsorship from the DH graduated in the second half of 2024. The 15 dental therapist graduates are working in the School Dental Clinics under the DH, and all of them have remained in service after completing the one-year service period. As for the six dental hygienist graduates, their one-year service period has not yet been completed. Three of them are working in government dental clinics under the DH and the remaining three are working in designated NGO dental clinics. The DH has been closely monitoring the employment and retention situation of these graduates in the DH or designated NGOs, hoping to attract more young people to join the industry, which will help provide sufficient manpower in the future to support the Government, private institutions and NGOs in launching various dental care services.

     Regarding the appointment arrangements for DCPs in the DH, the DH is reviewing matters such as entry requirements and remuneration packages of DCPs. Subject to the implementation of the statutory registration system for DCPs and the minimum academic qualification requirements for dental hygienists, the DH will revise the entry requirements for the Dental Hygienist and Dental Therapist grades at appropriate juncture to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance. In response to the amended entry requirements of the Dental Hygienist grade, including the higher academic qualification requirements, the DH is pressing ahead with the grade structure review of Dental Hygienists in an orderly manner.

     The information on the Government Dentist and DCP grades from 2023 to 2025 is at the Annex II.

Note: Currently, dental hygienists can work in either the public or private sectors, and may perform preventive dental care in accordance with the directions of a dentist who is available in the premises at all times when such work is being carried out. Dental therapists work exclusively under the DH to provide the School Dental Care Service. Upon the commencement of the statutory registration system for DCPs, all DCPs (including dental therapists) will be allowed to provide services outside the DH (including institutions in the public or private sector). 

Ends/Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:39

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