A large memorial monument was erected in front of the town office. On April 4, 1919, it was a monument of praise of the independence movement that started in this town. At that time, nearly 2,000 villagers protested for independence, and nearly 150 people were killed or put in jail. Their names were inscribed on the monument to honor each of them.

I spent three hours roaming the village and came across a few people. According to principal of the branch school, about 40 villagers died last year, with only one birth—a typical aging village. A hundred years ago, a village of 2,000 villagers took to the streets, and now it is becoming a village where you could not hear a baby crying, a village where people could barely be found.

The near future that we will face will be quite different from the past, as shown by the government's announcement that 1,503 (43.4%) out of 3,463 townships nationwide are in danger of extinction due to the low birth rate and aging population. Medical services will also need to change from provider-centered to patient-centered service delivery systems. The recently discussed dental healthcare service such as family dentists for children's and adolescents, family dentists for the disabled, and senior care facilities' dentists are an example of changing medical services.

Furthermore, it is time to discuss with how to provide dental services (as well as who will provide those services, and for how much) in areas where the population is dying.

March 2019