MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 303 students (n = 303) responded to the online questionnaire. The first part of questionnaire was to evaluate the demographic data of the respondents and focused on the technique and management approach used for deep caries lesion. The second part investigated the preferred treatment used for deep caries based on the designated clinical case, while the third part assessed the factors that affected the decision on deep caries management.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Independent t-test was used to compare difference between the two groups.
RESULTS: Seventy four percent of the students have the knowledge of the different methods of caries removal, while 25.8% were only familiar with complete caries removal. The preferred method for deep caries removal in permanent teeth was partial caries removal (53%). For primary dentition, 45.6% of the students prefer to perform pulpotomy as compared with other techniques. There was no significant difference in caries removal method for permanent teeth between undergraduate year of study (p > 0.05), which was partial caries removal at 52.7 and 53.5%, respectively. For primary dentition, the preferred caries removal method was pulpotomy for year 4 (39.8%) and year 5 (52%) students. The popular material to restore deep caries was resin composite (42%) followed by glass ionomer cement (23.3%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that partial caries removal was the preferred method despite partial understanding on the identification of the clinical indicators of the technique.
METHODS: One PowerPoint presentation describing two classification systems for root canal morphology (Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology, 1974 38, 456 and its supplemental configurations, International Endodontic Journal 2017, 50, 761) was delivered to final year undergraduate dental students in eight dental schools in Malaysia by two presenters (each presented to four schools). To examine students' feedback on the utility of each system, printed questionnaires consisting of six questions (five multiple choice questions and one open-ended question) were distributed and collected after the lecture. The questionnaire was designed to compare the classification systems in terms of accuracy, practicability, understanding of root canal morphology and recommendation for use in pre-clinical and clinical courses. The exact test was used for statistical analysis, with the level of significance set at 0.05 (P = 0.05).
RESULTS: A total of 382 (out of 447) students participated giving a response rate of 86%. More than 90% of students reported that the new system was more accurate and more practical compared with the Vertucci system (P 0.05). The students' responses for all questions were almost similar for both presenters (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The new system of International Endodontic Journal 2017, 50, 761 for classifying root and canal morphology was favoured by final year undergraduate dental students in Malaysia. The new system has the potential to be included in the undergraduate endodontic curriculum for teaching courses related to root and canal morphology.
METHODS: Data from all respiratory admissions in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2015 were collected retrospectively from chart and electronic database. A total of 16 weeks of haze period had been formally dated by the Department of Environment using the definition of weather phenomenon leading to atmospheric visibility of less than 10 km. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to estimate rate ratios and 95% CI.
RESULTS: There were 1968 subjects admitted for respiratory admissions in UKMMC during the study period. Incidence rates per week were significantly different between the two groups with 27.6 ± 9.2 cases per week during the haze versus 15.7 ± 6.7 cases per week during the non-haze period (P < 0.01). A total of 4% versus 2% was admitted to the intensive care unit in the haze and the non-haze groups, respectively (P = 0.02). The mean ± SD lengths of stay was 12.1 ± 5.2 days; the haze group had a longer stay (18.2 ± 9.7 days) compared to the non-haze groups (9.7 ± 3.9) (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: The annual SEA haze is associated with increased respiratory admissions.