Musicians, take good care of your oral health…

In a recent issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association, an orthodontist pointed out that the type of musical instruments that your children play will affect the position of their teeth or jaw. A 1994 report identified common dental issues experienced by musicians including tooth mobility, TMJ, and head & neck lesions.

Most of the problems are experienced by musicians who play the saxophone or clarinet as they will put a lot of pressure on the lower lip and the teeth to support the weight of the instrument. Teeth misalignment may also be experienced if they play the instruments extensively. Brass instrument players such as trumpet, horns or trombone players will need to be careful as a prolonged period of using these instruments will cause teeth mobility or movement.

String instruments such as the violin may also affect the development of the jaw and the bite. This is to the due to the pressure on the jaw when musicians hold the instrument between their shoulder and the jaw.

If your children play the types of musical instruments mentioned above or have experienced problems in the mouth and head & neck area, then you should bring your children to the dentist or paedodontist to have an examination.

Prevention is always better than cure. A short chat with your dentist or specialist would get a musical career off to a good start with the bonus of an excellent set of teeth.

Specialist Dental Group is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). For more information on different types of dental treatments, send an enquiry via www.specialistdentalgroup.com or call 6733 7883.

Campus Radio 93.8 live Visits the Canadian International School

Just a few short weeks after opening the doors to the Canadian International School’s (CIS) new state-of-the-art Lakeside campus, high school students hosted 93.8 FM’s live Campus Radio show. The topic of the day was: Will technology evolve to govern the world absolutely and have our lives already come to be ruled by technology?

An enthusiastic high school audience watched and listened to the show live in the David Foster 500 seat theatre, while Mr. Little’s Grade 10 MYP Technology class, demonstrated the modern art of multi-tasking by listening to the live stream of the show over the Internet in the their classroom, while continuing with their studies.

The panel discussion included students Meg Cavanagh and Gabriella Reeb, teacher Rick Butler, and a panel of experts including the Regional Director of Internet Policy of Microsoft, John Galagan and TRPC Chairman, Dr. Peter Lovelock. Others making significant contributions through their insightful comments included Tanya Phillips, Shayna Haley, Grael Miller, Elene Tsvetkova, Jennifer Li and Ken Montgomery.

Discussion topics included the perceived threat that technology poses, the need to broaden our use/understanding of technology beyond using the Internet for social net-working, and ensuring that we maintain a balance between technological and human interaction.

Ultimately, the panel surmised that technology does have the ability to de-humanise human interaction and that users of technology need to make a conscious choice to use technology in a humanising way that adds more value to our lives, our relationships and our way of doing things.

/ Scott Little
MYP Technology Teacher

Reflections of Bukit Chandu

Our small but enthusiastic group met at Pasir  Panjang MRT station and then made our way up Pepys Rd to the museum. Reflections of Bukit Chandu is a World War II interpretive centre developed and managed by the National Archives of Singapore. The museum is housed in one of the few remaining bungalows which were built at the turn of the century for British officers.

We were heartily greeted by our guide, Vincent, a retired geography teacher. Immediately we were impressed by his knowledge of the history leading up to the Battle of Bukit Chandu and his enthusiasm for our questions and discussion.

The Battle of Bukit Chandu took place just two days before the surrender of Singapore on February 15, 1942. Malay Regiment soldiers, led by British Commanders were forced to retreat to this hill and engaged in fierce battle for 48 hours. When their ammunition gave out, they resorted to hand to hand combat to try and defend the hill. The museum is a fascinating interpretive centre which brings to life the horrors of war in Singapore at that time.

We thanked Vincent and walked back to Pasir Panjang Rd to E-Sarn, Thai Cuisine, where we enjoyed an authentic Thai lunch and more lively discussion about our tour. We all agreed that we would like to learn more about that period of Singapore’s history. One historical fiction novel, which chronicles the events leading up to and including the war in Singapore, is Tanamera by Noel Barber. After lunch we went our separate ways, all anticipating the next CAS Out & About in Singapore Tour.

/ Deb Glenen

Singapore River Regatta

The last weekend in November saw a lot of crowds and boats lining Boat Quay. This was the annual Singapore River Regatta. The race was a short 200 metres. While it was short, the competition was fierce with every team paddling their hardest to reach the finish line first.  With over 80 boats competing in some categories, the weekend was exhilarating for everyone.

This year the Canadian Dragons had a great showing with 2 boats entered in most categories and the “B” boat in the National Championship Premier Mixed category placed third, receiving a Bronze medal for their efforts.

We are just starting our first season for 2012 and are eager to have new paddlers join us. There are some fun races building up to the Singapore Dragon Boat festival in late June where we will defend our Silver medal in the Inter International Business Community (expat race) category from July 2011.

If you are interested in joining our fun team, come out for training at Kallang Riverside Park. We train in the boat on Saturdays from 4:00 – 6:00, and Sundays from 10:00 – 12:00. Please come 30 minutes early to sign in, get kitted out – we have PDF’s and paddles, and to warm up. Hope to see you soon!

For more info: www.canadiandragons.sg.org