TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE 51 50 HKU ANNUAL REPORT 2022 Our scholars work with NGOs, charities and other groups to bring their findings to the community to change conditions for the better. Each year, the most impactful of these are honoured through HKU’s Knowledge Exchange Awards. KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE BEARS FRUIT TREATING CHILDREN’S CAVITIES WITHOUT THE DRILL CROSSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Access to and competency with digital media has become a critical requirement for daily work, study and life, as the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored. Professor Nancy Law Wai Ying of the Faculty of Education began investigating digital literacy in Hong Kong schoolchildren even before the pandemic started and has produced revealing results about the inequality of digital access and literacy in the city. The results have influenced policymakers and others to take steps to address the gap. In April 2020 Professor Law released findings from data collected the previous year that showed huge diversities in digital literacy achievement among primary and secondary students within and across schools. This led to the launch of eCitizen Education 360 the following month to guide evidence-based communitywide action to support the learning of students, families, schools and teachers. Untreated tooth decay among young children is a significant public health problem around the world, including Hong Kong where a government survey found half of five-year-olds had dental caries (cavities) and 75% had never visited a dentist. But now, the Faculty of Dentistry has come up with a solution that is not invasive, unlike drill-and-fill, and that can even be done in a classroom. Their findings have influenced public dental health policies around the world. inexpensive and effective in stopping tooth decay. The non-invasive and non-aerosol treatment is also suitable for implementation in a school setting, leading to a new paradigm for management of tooth decay in children,” Dr Duangthip said. The team also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the use of SDF. As a result, SDF is now included in the dental section of the WHO’s list of essential dental medicines, which is used as a guide by more than 150 countries. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has also developed a guideline on SDF use for caries management in children based on the research evidence. Dr Duangthip and her team were awarded the Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award 2021 by HKU. Professor Nancy Law and her team has won the Faculty of Education’s Knowledge Exchange Award 2021 with the project ‘Co-creating a New Normal of Empowered Learning through Digital Citizenship Research’. teachers in developing appropriate learning environments and activities that will foster digital competence and resilience,” Professor Law said. “Concerted efforts involving community sectors in addition to educators are necessary to address the wellness challenges and the learning divides uncovered through our research.” Professor Law and her team received the Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award of the Faculty of Education for 2021. (From left) Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Professor Chu Chun Hung, Professor Edward Lo Chin Man and Professor Cynthia Yiu Kar Yung were honoured with the Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award 2021 for the project ‘Promoting Child Oral Health and Managing Tooth Decay in Preschool Children’. The team has established the territory-wide oral health programme to promote child oral health and manage tooth decay situation in preschool children using silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for caries control. The initiative has had wide support from the education sector, NGOs and charities. For example, the Jockey Club and other charities allocated funding to help underprivileged families cope with e-learning, some NGOs introduced new services to provide parents, teachers and school leaders with support in improving children’s digital competence, and schools that were already well-prepared for e-learning shared their experiences with others on multiple platforms. A follow-up survey in 2021 found that general digital competence had improved across the board, although the competency gap within and across schools had increased, as had the percentage of students reporting serious mental health and internet addiction conditions. “It is imperative that measures be taken to support schools and Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Senior Clinical Practitioner in Cariology, led the team in applying silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to control tooth decay in preschool children, in a territorywide kindergarten-based project funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charity Trust. “Our project enjoyed a very high participation rate and parental satisfaction. Studies by members of the team have shown that SDF is safe, Learn more about eCitizen Education 360
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