A cross sectional study was carried out to identify and compare factors that contribute to patient satisfaction towards the medical care services provided at the outpatient clinic in government health clinics and private clinics in Mulcim Labu, Sepang, Selangor. Systematic sampling for government clinic and universal sampling for private clinics were done and data was collected via face-to-
face interview based on a validated Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). A total of 181 patients aged 15 to 75 years old were selected, comprising 90 patients from the government clinics and 91 patients from private clinics. The majority of the patients were males (62.4%), Malay (79.0%), aged between 25 to 34 years with a mean age of 34.6 years and acutely ill (80.7%). Generally, all patients were satisfied with the services provided in both government and private sectors. Patients in private clinics, however, had a significantly higher satisfaction score as compared to the respondents in government clinics. There was signilqcant correlation between patient satisfaction score and household income in government and private clinics. Significant correlation was also found between patient satisfaction score and age in government clinic. Patients in private clinics were more satisfied towards the interpersonal manners, availability and continuity of care of the clinic compared to patienw in government clinics. Whereas patients in government clinics were more satisfied towards the service charges. This study provides important in ormation that could be used by roviders o health care services to monitor and im roved the ualit o medical care in the respective sectors.
MeSH terms: Ambulatory Care Facilities; China/ethnology; Continuity of Patient Care; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; India/ethnology; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Personal Satisfaction; Private Practice; Surveys and Questionnaires; Patient Satisfaction; Private Sector
Risks of transfusion increase with the increase in the number and volume of transfusions occurring in hospitals year after year. Knowledge and practice of the nurses on proper transfusion techniques and risk reduction procedures should always be updated to ensure that transfusions are safely carried out. The study was done to determine the levels of knowledge and practice of trained nurses regarding blood transfusion in a general hospital. The study is a cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire, distributed to all staff nurses in the medical-based wards and intensive care unit (ICU) in the hospital. The total score were added for each category of knowledge and practice. Ninety one percent of the total population of staff nurses in medical based wards anti ICU were recruited into the study. A score of 80% or more in the knowledge and score of IOO% is required for practice to consider it as a pass, The outcome of the study showed that no one respondent in the study has achieved the required level, with regard to neither knowledge nor practice. The mean knowledge score was 54.8 with SD. of 9,9; while the mean practice score was 63 .8 with S.D. of 1.4. It was found that there was no rehtionship between knowledge score, nor practice score with the clinical postings (place of work) , work experience, and nursing qualification. This survey had indicated probkms faced by the nursing population in the hospital studied that there was a need to improve knowledge and practice levels with regards to blood transfusion procedure. It is crucial that updated information concerning transfusions be communicated to these nurses since they were the ones who carry out the procedures whilst continuously observing the patients during transfusion.
MeSH terms: Blood Transfusion; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hospitals, General; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Nurses; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Reduction Behavior
Exposure to secondhand smoke has consistently been linked to adverse health effects in children, including reduced lung function and various respiratory diseases. There is also increasing evidence that secondhand smoke exposure is associated with cognitive impairment and behavioral problems in children, This cross sectional study was done on 795 chiildren to determine the association between secondhand smoke exposure and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and cognitive performance among the primary school children in Kota Bharu Kelantan. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demography and smoking status of the household. The PEER was measured using a child Mini Wright peak expiratory flow meter while cognitive performance was assessed by four subtests of Weschler Intelligence Scale For Children (WISC III). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 11. Children were classified as exposed to secondhand smoke when at least one househoH member smoked. There were 442 (55 .6%) children exposed to secondhand smoke at home. The mean (SD) PEFR for unexposed and exposed children were 266.18 (60.80) l/min and 266 .06 (57. 70) l/min respectively, The mean (SD) scores for Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward Coding and Arithmetic in unexposed chiMren were 6.84 (1.80), 4.Z7(1.68), 45.25 (9,99) and 8.04 (1.04) respectively. The mean (SD) scores for exposed children were 6.73 (1 .77). 4.07 (l .65), 45.1 I (1 I ,03) and 8.13 (1 .00) respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance showed no signincant dijference in the PEFR (p=O.816) and the cognitive scores between exposed and unexposed primary school children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan
MeSH terms: Problem Behavior; Child; Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demography; Family Characteristics; Humans; Intelligence; Malaysia; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; Surveys and Questionnaires; Schools; Smoking; Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Multivariate Analysis
The Healthy City concept was taken by Malaysia in 1994 and Malacca State has initiated this project in late 1997 and launched in September 1998. The aim of the project is to had ways of achieving a better quality of urban life. The objective of this study was to assess the views and responses of Melaka Tengah community with regards to the existing facilities and services rendered in the district. The views will be incorporated into ideas for the policymakers and planners to develop Malacca into a healthy city. Three methods were used to collect the data. Questionnaires were given to the community of Melaka Tengah District. The respondents were selected by multistage sampling, Observation was carried out at selected public places to assess the community's practices and contribution, Ten focus group discussion were conducted consisting of health staff and public to discuss on environmental, social, physical and economic issues of Malacca. There were 3 sectors that had mean scores above 3.0 (the cut off level for being satisfed). They were health, housing and environment, ln terms of dissatisfaction, there were 4 sectors scoring below 3.0, These include domestic waste dnposal, road system, public transportation and recreational park. The community
expected the services to be improved especially in terms of cleanliness, They agreed to contribute in their own ways in developing the sectors discussed except for public transportation, wet market and food premises which were beyond their control. Observation showed that some of the community members exhibit bad behaviours that can contribute to an unhealthy city. The Melaka
Tengah community expected ejficient and quality services and they agreed to contribute in making Malacca into a Healthy City.
MeSH terms: Parks, Recreational; Environment; Housing; Malaysia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Residence Characteristics; Transportation; Focus Groups; Life
Client satisfaction upon health services is important for public especially for those who have to undergo treatment for tuberculosis (TB) noted for its difficult regime. The purpose of this study is to measure client dissatisfaction level towards TB treatment & services among TB patients in government outpatient health services and the factors that influenced it. This study was carried out in all the districts of West Coast Division of Sabah. It was conducted from June 2002 to November 2002. Study design is cross-sectional, with population samples taken on those who are currently receiving outpatient TB treatment in government health facilities. Questionnaires forms were used as study tool and filled by either by respondent or through the help of trained interviewer. The outcome is based on the total score obtained through Likert scales to determine the proportion of dissatisfied group from the respondents. A total of 488 patients took part in this study. Results of study showed overall percentage of 31.8% dissatisfaction level towards TB
treatment & services, while dissatisfaction towards TB treatment and upon health services alone were 54.3% and 24.0% respectively. The predictive factors for client dissatisfaction towards TB treatment and services are those without education, longer waiting time and have opinion of insufficient number of health staff.
Key words: Tuberculosis, client satisfaction, TB treatment, services, Sabah.
Study site: Outpatient clinics, hospitals, Sabah, Malaysia
A cross sectional study was conducted in Kelantan state with the objectives to determine the prevalence of smoking in 2004 and to determine the relationship between smoking and age, sex, educational level, family and peer influence. All residents aged 15 years and above from all the selected households were included in this study. A standardized pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in this study. Out of 1025 respondents interviewed the prevalence of ever and current smokers was 34% and 25.1% respectively.The prevalence of ever smokers and current smokers was significantly higher In males as compared to females (p.<0.001). The mean initiation age for the males current smokers was 10.4 (95% CI = 19.4, 21.5) years with a range from 7 to 66 years. For the females the mean initiation age was 31 (95% Cl =26.8, 35.2) years with a range from 15 to 64 years. The difference between the mean initiation age between male and female smokers was statistically significant (p<0.0001). The overall mean duration of smoking was 23.9 years with a median of 23 years. It ranged from less than 1 year to 66 years. There was no significant difference between the mean duration of smoking between male and females current smokers (p =0.59). There was a significant association between current smoking status and education level (p<0.01 ) and between smoking and peer influence (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in smokers whose parents were smokers as compared to non-smokers whose parents were smokers. In conclusion the prevalence of smoking in Kelantan state in 2004 is lower than the reported prevalence in 1996. However, it is still very high especially in the males.
Key words: Smoking, peer influence, Kelantan
MeSH terms: Peer Influence; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Characteristics; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Smoking; Prevalence
Breast cancer is the commonest female cancer in Malaysia with a prevalence of 86.2 cases per 100,000 women in 1996. Pronling breast cancer patients is important for better planning of preventive and screening strategies for Malaysian women. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to identify histological presentation, socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics and prevalence of risk or protective factors of breast cancer among women with breast cancer in Kelantan. A total of 175 female breast cancer patients who were diagnosed in 1991 to 2000, were interviewed using standardized questionnaires. The mean (sd) age was 47.0 (9.6) years with 77.7% Malay, 20.6% Chinese and 1.7% others. About half (52.6%) had 9 years or less of formal education, while 59.4% were housewives/unemployed and 60.6% had a monthly family income of less than RM1 ,000. The commonest histological type was innltrative ductal carcinoma (73 .7%) . Presentation of breast cancer with the stage lll or Vl was 59.4%. The prevalence of nulliparity · 13.1%, breastfeeding longer than two years - 58.9%, premenstrual period - 72.0%, menarche at 11 years old or less - 5 .7%, positive family history - 14.4%, overweight/obesity - 48.0%, oral contraceptives use 30.3%, hormone replacement therapy » 1.1%, cigarette smoking - 4.6%, consuming akohol - 3.4%, previous benign breast disease - 6.3%, previous breast biopsy - 2.9% and previous oophorectomy - 4.6%. The patients were younger compared to other studies. The ethnic distribution did not represent the population distribution of Kelantan. The prevalence of overweight/obesity and smoking were higher than the national prevalence among women, thus they should be included in the prevention strategies for breast cancer. Further studies are recommended to investigate why many of breast cancer patients in Kelantan presented at a younger age and at advanced stages of cancer.
MeSH terms: Adult; Biopsy; Breast Feeding; Breast Neoplasms; Contraceptives, Oral; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Fibrocystic Breast Disease; Humans; Malaysia; Menarche; Obesity; Ovariectomy; Parity; Surveys and Questionnaires; Smoking; Prevalence; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Carcinoma, Ductal; Overweight; Protective Factors
All road users are at risk of being involved in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). Approximately 52.2% of all fatalities and 70.9% of all casualties related to MVCs in Kelantan were motorcycle riders and pilliori riders. A number of risk factors have been established in the relationship between traffic accidents and road-user, the vehicle as well as road and traffic conditions. The study was a cross-sectional study to identify factors associated with the severity of injury sustained by motorcyclist accident patients admitted to the Emergency Department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), assessed through face to face interview based questionnaire and, at the same time the severity of injury was determined through Revised Trauma Score. Data analysis was done using simple and multiple logistic regressions. The study revealed that age more than 5O years, no motorcycle license, no stressful condition and crashes on two·way road showed higher risk of sustaining a more severe injury. However, sleep time of six to less than nine hours per day, crash on a straight roadway and wet road surface were associated with less severe injury. We recommend that public education, licensing and enforcement on accident prevention and safety riding should be given a priority.
Rural health clinics in Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, Malaysia lack diagnostic tests for malaria. Many of the medical assistants in the clinic diagnose malaria solely on clinical ground. The study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of clinical diagnosis of rnahtria made by medical assistants using results of microscopy examination as gold standard. The study period was from September to December 2003. Three rural clinics without laboratory or diagnostic tests services and one urban clinic with laboratory facility serving malarious areas were selected. All patients clinically diagnosed as malaria by the attending medical assistants were included as clinical malaria cases. Blood slides were taken for examination of malaria parasites. Non clinical malaria cases were all other patients without clinical malaria for whom blood slides were taken for malaria parasites. Out of 362 patients included in the study, 75 were clinically diagnosed as having mahria. The sensitivity of headache, history of fever and chills/rigors to detect malaria cases was above 90% but the specificity and positive predictive value was low, below 40% and 20% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of malaria clinical diagnosis made by medical assistants was 82.1 %, 84 .4% and 30.7% respectively. Clinical diagnosis of malaria increases the slide positive rate by four folds. However the sensitivity, specincity and positive predictive value of clinical diagnosis by medical assistant and clinical characteristics was insufficient to enable each of them to be used alone to differentiate true malaria cases from non mahiria cases.
The protective effect of the ethanol extract of the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe on acute hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol (1000 mg/kg) was studied in plasma and hepatic tissue samples obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats. The ethanol extract was given in oral doses of 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg to the rats at 0, 4 and 8 hrs after paracetamol was given orally. The plasma and liver of the rats were subjected to biochemical analysis 24 hrs after hepatotoxicity was induced to determine the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD), malonaldehyde (MDA) and aspartate transaminase (AST). The results were compared to the rats which were given the antidote N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (500 mg/kg) at 0, 4 and 8 hrs after the paracetamol dose. The results showed that at 200 mg/kg the extract reduced the plasma levels of SOD significantly (p < 0.05) while at a higher dose of 300 mg/kg it reduced plasma SOD, hepatic MDA, serum AST and increased the levels of plasma proteins significantly (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the ethanol extract of Z. officinale showed protective effect against paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity at both dose levels and the protective effect was better at the higher dose.
Garis panduan saringan telinga tengah oleh American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) telah menyarankan agar pendekatan kuantitatif digunakan untuk menginterpretasi keputusan timpanogram. Berbanding pendekatan kualitatif yang digunapakai untuk menginterpretasi timpanogram sebelum ini, pendekatan kuantitatif adalah lebih sesuai kerana ianya bersifat objektif serta dapat diaplikasi dengan peralatan timpanometer komersial yang terdapat di pasaran sekarang. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan nilai mutlak ciri timpanometri iaitu puncak statik admitan akustik dikompensasi (Puncak Ytm), kelebaran timpanogram (TW) dan isipadu salur telinga luar (Vea) di kalangan kanak-kanak pra-sekolah normal dan Sindrom Down. Lima belas kanak-kanak normal dan 12 kanak-kanak Sindrom Down yang memenuhi kriteria pemilihan subjek terlibat di dalam kajian ini. Nilai purata Puncak Ytm dan Vea bagi kanak-kanak normal masing-masing adalah 0.36 mmho dan 0.57 cm3 manakala kanak-kanak Sindrom Down mencatat nilai purata 0.14 mmho dan 0.38 cm3. Kanak-kanak normal dan Sindrom Down masingmasing mencatatkan nilai purata TW 99.73 dan 148.65 daPa. Analisis statistik menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara kedua-dua kumpulan subjek bagi ketiga-tiga nilai parameter timpanometri yang diperolehi.
MeSH terms: Aconitine; Agar; United States; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Tetrahydroisoquinolines
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of stimulus sweep direction on the fine structure of the 2f1-f2 distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). It was hypothesised that the DPOAE fine structure could be shifted if the stimulus sweep changed from one direction to the other. In the present study, ascending, descending and random frequency sweeps were used, with f2 frequency varying between 992 Hz and 2496 Hz and f2/f1 fixed at 1.22. DPOAE fine structure was recorded at 16 Hz intervals. Screening, spontaneous otoacoustic emission (SOAE) and DPOAE measurements were carried out on 19 ears of 19 subjects aged between 22 and 30 years. Data from 14 ears that had at least one significant peak or valley in their DPOAE fine structure were included in the main analysis. Of these, five ears showed at least one occurrence of SOAE over the frequency span 600 Hz to 2500 Hz. Data for ears with and without SOAEs were grouped and analysed separately. The results showed no effect of sweep direction on DPOAE fine structure. No significant differences were observed in peak or valley frequencies, peak height or valley depth between the three stimulus sweep conditions (p > 0.05). There was also no significant effect of stimulus sweep direction on DPOAE level at the point at which SOAE frequency equalled DPOAE frequency (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the study found no effect of stimulus sweep direction on the fine structure of the 2f1-f2 DPOAE, either in ears with or without SOAEs. Therefore, future measurements of this fine structure may use either sweep direction.
Kajian ini mengukur kesan pembawaan semula jadi, punca tekanan dan reaksi tekanan ke atas kesihatan mental di kalangan juvana. Ia melibatkan 55 orang juvana dari pusat pemulihan akhlak dari lingkungan umur 15 hingga 18 tahun. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), Student Life Stress Inventory (SLSI), dan Dimensions of Temperament DOTSR-Child (Self) digunakan sebagai alat kajian. Manakala analisis regresi dan korelasi telah dikendalikan untuk menganalisis data. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan punca tekanan, reaksi tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi tidak memberi kesan yang signifikan ke atas kesihatan mental juvana. Namun punca tekanan secara tunggal didapati menjadi peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan juvana dengan menyumbang sebanyak 14.6% daripada varian. Punca kekecewaan menyumbang sebanyak 18.1% daripada varian dalam meramal kemurungan. Reaksi emosi menyumbang sebanyak 10.6% kepada kesan anxieti dan insomnia. Punca tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi pula menyumbang sebanyak 31% kepada reaksi emosi. Punca tekanan mempunyai korelasi positif yang sederhana dengan reaksi emosi (k = 0.55) dan mempunyai korelasi positif yang rendah dengan pembawaan semula jadi (k = 0.11) dan kesihatan mental (k = 0.23). Kesimpulannya punca tekanan memainkan peranan yang penting dalam mempengaruhi reaksi terhadap tekanan. Faktor pembawaan semula jadi tidak mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat dalam mempengaruhi reaksi tekanan dan kesihatan mental juvana. Faktor kekecewaan pula merupakan peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan.
MeSH terms: Ataxia Telangiectasia; Child; Humans; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Personality Inventory; Surveys and Questionnaires; Stress, Psychological; Students; Temperament
This paper outlines the past five decades of scientific interests and advances in medicinal plant research in Malaysia. Initially the prime interest of research programmes has been on phytochemical studies leading to the discovery of biologically active compounds as chemical templates to produce new drug candidates. As the Malaysian herbal medicine market experiences an extraordinary growth, the research approaches taken have recently included activities to develop herbal medicines into quality, efficacious and safe products for human consumption. Advances in chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques have had a tremendous impact on the isolation and structure elucidation of the constituents of medicinal plants. The development of a series of bioassay methodologies and utilization of bioassay-guided isolation techniques have contributed significantly to the progress of medicinal plant research in Malaysia. Research work on some medicinal plants carried out by the local scientists will be illustrated as examples.
The calcareous rings of two species of local sea cucumbers, Stichopus hermanni Semper and Holothuria atra Jaeger, were located, dissected, exposed and recorded. The calcareous rings of both species each composed of ten plates knit together by connective tissues. The radial plate of H. atra was a square with a notch at the anterior part whereas in S. hermanni it was squarish consisting of 4 ridges in the anterior part with a notch at the posterior part. The interradial plates of both species were smaller than the radial plates. A ridge was present at the anterior part of the interradial plate in H. atra. In S. hermanii, the ridge at the anterior part of the interradial was thin and prominent. Under the scanning electron microscope the calcareous rings from the two species exhibited a mosaic of small, numerous spicules bound to each other.
MeSH terms: Animals; Bone Plates; Connective Tissue; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Sea Cucumbers; Tretinoin; Prostheses and Implants; Holothuria; Stichopus
Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukan kandungan nutrien dan antinutrien dalam kernel biji Mangifera pajang Kostermans (bambangan). Analisis proksimat untuk kernel biji bambangan menunjukkan komposisi nutriennya terdiri daripada 38.68% karbohidrat total, 3.08% protein, 4.79% gentian kasar, 9.85% lemak total, 2.23% abu total dan 41.38% air. Kernel ini juga mengandungi 2.04 mg sianogen glikosida/100 g sampel dan 0.64% tanin. Minyak yang diekstrak dari kernel biji bambangan telah menunjukkan ciri fizikokimia yang hampir sama seperti lemak koko. Takat lebur minyak ini adalah pada 34.87°C, indeks refraktif pada 1.458 dan nilai iodinnya adalah 32.97 mg iodin/100 g sampel lemak.
Establishing time of death has been extensively studied for the last 30 years. Parameters that have been studied included body temperature, biochemistry of rigor mortis, putrefactive changes and entomology. Despite an extensive study in these parameters it was found that all of the parameters were very much dependent on external factors like changes in surrounding temperature and activities done prior to death. To solve this problem, we decided to monitor the mechanism that occurs during death. Until now, various researches have found that during the early stage of death, heart and perfusion to the cells will stop. This will cause the cells to start the death process. The death of the cell will occurs either through apoptosis or necrosis. During apoptosis the cells will switch on and off a few proteins in a sequence. Based on this understanding, a study was conducted to determine if area ratio of apoptosis: necrosis and apoptotic p53 and Bcl-2 markers can be used as a reliable postmortem interval marker (PMI). Sampling of the study had involved 100 dead human skins with a known PMI. All samples were obtained from forensic unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur (UFHKL). Ratio of apoptosis: necrosis areas were determined using hematoxilin and eosin staining while apoptosis p53 and Bcl-2 markers were done using an apoptosis kit. All staining were then indexed and plotted against PMI data obtained from UFHKL. Results indicated that there were no significant correlations between ratio of apoptosis: necrosis area against PMI (p = 0.144). Whereas for both apoptotic markers p53 and Bcl-2 PMI had shown a significant correlation (p < 0.000 for both results). In conclusion, we suggest that p53 and Bcl-2 parameters should be studied further since it is very likely that it could be a good indicator for PMI.
The aqueous and ethanol extracts of Stichopus chloronotus Brandt were investigated for their effectiveness against guinea pig dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes using the hair root invasion test. The ethanol extract at 10 mg/ml showed 82.8 % efficacy against T. mentagrophytes while the aqueous extract at similar concentration showed 84.8% efficacy against M. canis infection, as compared to econazole which showed 100% efficacy against both infections. No adverse effect on the skin was observed in the treated animals. In conclusion, aqueous and ethanol extracts of S. chloronotus showed high antimycotic activity against experimentally induced dermatophytosis in guinea pigs.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of chewing commercially available meswak may have on levels of calcium, chloride, phosphate and thiocyanate in stimulated whole saliva. A total of 20 subjects participated in the investigation. They were distributed into two groups. Those in group A (10 individuals) were asked to first chew on a cotton roll (sized #1) followed by the chewing of an equivalent sized 5mm piece of commercially available meswak. Subjects in group B (10 individuals) did the same but, chewed on cotton roll (sized #2) followed by the chewing of an equivalent sized 10mm piece of commercially available meswak. After following a specified chewing protocol, samples of stimulated whole saliva were collected into a graduated tube at the end of every chewing regime. Calcium, chloride, phosphate and thiocyanate analysis were carried out using colour titration and spectrophotometer. Results from this investigation indicated that commercially available meswak chewing sticks apart from containing high amounts of calcium and chloride may possibly release phosphate and thiocyanate into whole saliva. These findings suggest that the commercially available meswak used as chewing sticks may have the potential of releasing substances into saliva that could influence the state of oral health. Further studies have to be carried out to ascertain the therapeutic benefits of chewing commercially available meswak.
Oral cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the world. Despite recent advances in cancer diagnoses and therapies, the five-year survival rate of oral cancer patients has remained at a dismal 50% in the last few decades. Oral cancer is of major concern in Southeast Asia primarily because of the prevalent oral habits namely betel quid chewing, smoking and alcohol consumption. This paper provides a brief overview on the various aetiological agents and risk factors implicated in the development of oral cancer.