If you’ve ever visited a dentist at NTUC Health Denticare, you’ve experienced a slice of co-operative history. First established in 1972 to provide affordable dental care for working Singaporeans, NTUC Health Denticare was one of the earliest arms of the NTUC social enterprises (a whole slew of them came to be after the Modernisation Seminar in 1969). And for decades, it played a quiet but essential role in the lives of union members and their families.

In April 2024, NTUC Health Co-operative announced that it would be divesting Denticare as part of its strategic pivot to deepen focus on eldercare, active ageing, and community health. The stake was transferred to Tangram Asia Capital LLP, a venture capital firm under NTUC Enterprise Co-operative, which now holds a substantial minority share in the merged entity and will support its growth and integration.

Denticare has since merged with Royce Dental Group, forming one of the largest consolidated dental care providers in Singapore today. With over 160 dentists and specialists, the newly combined entity continues to offer services ranging from general dentistry to orthodontics, implants and more.

So, what does this mean for the average patient?

While Denticare is no longer under the NTUC Health umbrella, it continues to honour existing union benefits, CHAS subsidies and Medisave-claimable procedures. In fact, the merger allows for an expanded range of services, better appointment availability, and access to newer technologies in oral healthcare.

“When we were exploring a partnership with Royce Dental, we were looking to expand our network to provide our patients with more options to access quality specialist treatments,” said Dr Goh Siew Hor, Head of Clinical Services and Residential Care at NTUC Health Co-operative.

For NTUC Health, the divestment allows its team to sharpen focus on ageing-in-place initiatives, nursing homes, and day centres, sectors that will see growing demand in the years to come.

By Sng Ler Jun

SCM Scoop delivers bite-sized co-operative news from the Singapore Co-operative Movement. Learn more about the Singapore Co-operative Movement’s Centennial Celebration here.