MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-over study incorporated 90 special needs children who were recruited to receive dental treatment with two ways of behavior guidance exposures consecutively in the order of A-B/B-A design. Exposure A is CBBGT (distraction, tell-show-do, and positive reinforcement), while Exposure B is PB. The dental procedures were either dental prophylaxis or restoration with a handpiece. Caregivers need to answer a paper-based questionnaire before and after exposure. The Wilcoxon sign rank test and logistic regression were utilized in order to establish the comparability, impacts, and association.
RESULT: About 88 caregivers of special needs children aged between 2 and 15 years completed the sequence. Overall, 98.9% of the children presented with neurodevelopmental disorders. Twenty-seven caregivers were significantly concerned when the combination of basic BGT was applied to their children, and 14 caregivers felt the same for PB. However, the Wilcoxon sign rank test revealed insignificant caregiver scores on acceptance and consent for both methods but significantly improved attitudes towards the use of PB after observing the placement of their children.
CONCLUSION: The studied caregiver demonstrated equivalent acceptance, consent, and concern toward the use of PB and a combination of basic BGT with improved attitudes after comprehensive explanation and real-time observation of PB usage during their children's dental treatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective audit study included patients seen from the clinic's inception in January 2017 until June 2022, retrieved from the faculty's record management system. The pattern of patients seen was arranged on an Excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS. Quantitative data were analyzed via descriptive analysis (frequency) and chi-square test (P < 0.05).
RESULTS: A 220% surge in the number of patients treated between January 2017 and June 2022, from two to 91 years old, with more male patients seen. Most patients had an intellectual disability (49.7%), followed by medical compromised (16.4%) and genetic conditions or syndromes (12.0%). 43% of had caries, which is more prevalent in women, and 31.6% had periodontal disease, with the majority being between the ages of 21 and 40. Periodontal treatment accounted for most of the dental treatment (76.1%). Even though only a small percentage of endodontic therapy was performed (2.4%), a significant association was found between the treatment, gender and age group of patients seen in the clinic.
CONCLUSION: Considering their health profile, oral diagnosis and therapy, this study demonstrated the varied sorts of patients encountered in an SCD specialist clinic. This useful information will be beneficial in the development of a comprehensive care dentistry center for this community.
Materials and Methods: We have adopted search criteria using keywords: Botox, Botulinum toxin, incobotulinumtoxinA, esthetics, face, uses of Botox, with various Boolean operators and or in title, and abstract using PubMed search engine. The database search limited to PubMed only from January 2013 to June 2018.
Results: Various search results have been appended as annexures at the end of the article for further reference for the readers. Finally, 17 references were selected to write narrative review to meet our objectives.
Conclusion: The advancing front in the use of toxins is an emerging science for the beautification of a face. Botox exploded in to market because of efficacy, tolerability, and minimally invasive nature. The present review gives brief about the history of Botulinum toxin, types, mechanism of action, clinical indications, preparations, storage, and technique for various uses with a brief note on patient selection, contraindications, and complications.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two primary caregivers were interviewed via audio-recorded semistructured focus group discussions to investigate their perceived barriers and challenges in caring for IWSNs. The qualitative data were then analyzed via thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Thirty-two participants took part in a total of nine discussion sessions, where the majority were females (n = 29; 90.63%) and from the Malay race (n = 30; 93.75%). Most of the IWSNs under their care had autism (n = 11; 34.38%) and were between 6 and 10 years of age (n = 13; 40.63%). The main themes identified were related to healthcare services, support systems, caregivers' personal factors, and IWSN issues. Within the healthcare services domain, themes regarding the accessibility and appropriateness of healthcare facilities and the attitudes of staff were uncovered, whereas in the support system domain, themes pertaining to community and peer, family, and governmental support were discussed. In the domain of caregivers' personal factors, themes regarding stress with the burden of care and feelings of guilt were noted, and in the area of IWSN factors, the theme of behavioral difficulties exhibited by IWSNs was discussed.
CONCLUSION: Primary caregivers in Malaysia face challenges with healthcare facilities and staff, gaining support from the community, family, and government, burning out, and feeling guilty as well as behavior issues of their IWSN. Thus, understanding these challenges is vital in providing healthcare services that cater to not only IWSNs but also their caregivers to ensure the success and well-being of all involved.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty endodontically treated maxillary central incisors embedded in acrylic resin with decoronated root portion were taken for the study. The postspaces were prepared according to standard protocol. The samples were divided into two groups according to the post material: glass-fiber post and Quartz fiber post. These groups were further subdivided on the basis of coronal extension of 4 and 6 mm for glass fiber and Quartz fiber posts, respectively. The posts were then luted with dual-polymerizing resin cement followed by core buildup. Samples were subjected to increasing compressive oblique load until fracture occurred in a universal testing machine. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and independent Student's t-test. Analysis was done using SPSS version 15 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) Windows software program.
Results: Glass fiber post with coronal extension of 4 mm (182.8 N) showed better results than with 6-mm length (124.1 N). Similarly, in quartz fiber posts group, 4-mm postlength (314 N) was better when compared with 6 mm (160 N). The 4-mm coronal extension of quartz fiber post displayed superior fracture resistance.
Conclusions: Glass fiber posts showed better fracture resistance than Quartz fiber posts. 4-mm coronal length showed more fracture resistance than 6 mm.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 162 children between the ages of 7 and 9 years were included in this retrospective study, as were their respective parents; the children were examined for MIH while questionnaires centering on stress and family functioning were given to the parents. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and independent samples T-test.
RESULTS: A significant correlation between stress as a contributing factor and MIH was concluded; children with higher stress scores had higher occurrences of MIH. On the contrary, family functioning quality was not found to have a direct correlation with MIH.
CONCLUSIONS: Stress is correlated to MIH and is potentially one of the main causal factors that contribute to the development of the defect.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases and a manual search of articles from 2009 to 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical efficacy trials (nonrandomized) were performed. Methodological quality and risk of bias (RoB) of included papers was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool 2.0 for RCTs and ROBINS-I (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions) tool for nonrandomized studies.
RESULTS: A total of 352 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Eight RCTs and three clinical efficiency studies were included in this review. The masking effects of the demineralized enamel lesion were reported immediately after resin infiltration, and the color stability of this material was up to 24 months, with no adverse effects noted. For RCTs, four studies were classified as "some concerns" and four were as "low RoB." For nonrandomized studies, all of the studies presented an overall moderate RoB.
CONCLUSION: Resin infiltration achieves the best esthetic outcomes compared with microabrasion and remineralization therapy. Color stability was achieved with this material for up to 24 months and no adverse effects were noted. Factors contributing to the esthetic outcomes of the resin include the elimination of the hypermineralized surface layer, the homogeneity of the resin itself, and polishing after resin infiltration. Longitudinal follow-up and improved control of confounding variables should characterize future high-quality systematic reviews.
Materials and Methods: GCF of 160 individuals (4-15 years of age) was collected by the extracrevicular method. They were categorized into four groups (40 per each group). Group I: subjects with primary dentition (4-5 years of age), Group II: 40 subjects in early transition period (6-8 years), Group III: 40 individuals in the late transition period (9-11 years), and Group IV: 40 individuals with permanent dentition (12-15 years). MIP-lα and MIP-1β levels were determined in the samples of GCF by ELISA method. Data were analyzed by software SPSS Version 20 (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY: USA).
Results: MIP-1α and MIP-1β were detected in all samples. The highest mean MIP-1α and MIP-1β concentrations in GCF were detected in the early transition period, while the lowest concentrations were seen in primary dentition group. The chemokine levels were higher in girls than in boys in Group III. There was a substantial rise of MIP-1α and MIP-1β levels during eruption.
Conclusions: Since levels of MIP-1α and MIP-1β in GCF are positively associated with tooth eruption, they may perhaps be deemed as novel biomarkers in the eruption process.
AIM: This study aims to explore the barriers and perceptions toward healthcare services among parents or caretakers of people with intellectual disability, including the challenges and their expectations toward healthcare services.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a qualitative study using purposive sampling. Thirty participants were contacted at the initial stage and invited to participate in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were done among parents and caretakers of PWID who attended Special Care Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry clinics in Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre, Kuantan, Pahang. Topic guides were generated from literature review and expert opinions, followed by pilot interviews to refine them. However, after the interviews were done for the first 13 participants, we have reached data saturation, and no new themes emerged. The interviews were recorded, verbatim transcribed, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's guidelines for thematic analysis.
RESULTS: The satisfaction of parents or caretakers toward healthcare services for PWID and positive experiences in receiving healthcare services were noted. However, the results revealed several barrier themes in seeking healthcare services: lack of availability of parking, longer waiting time, appointment time, crowded environment, limited information on the availability of the services, and longer travel duration. Furthermore, expectation themes emerged from this study: continuous follow-up, accessibility to healthcare services, and staff attitude.
Aims: This study investigated the impact of an extramural program involving PWD on dental students' professionalism and students' perception of training in managing patients with special needs.
Materials and Methods: A group of 165 undergraduate dental students (year 1 to year 5) participated in a voluntary program, involving 124 visually impaired children, at a special education school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A dedicated module in oral health was developed by specialists in special care dentistry, pedodontics, and medical sciences. Dental students then participated in a semi-structured focus group interview survey to discuss perceptions of their learning experiences. Qualitative data were analyzed via thematic analysis.
Results: The program had positive impact on various aspects categorized into four major domains: professional knowledge (e.g., understanding of oral-systemic-social-environmental health interaction and understanding of disability), professional skills (e.g., communication and organizational skills), professional behavior (e.g., empathy and teamwork), and value-added learning (e.g., photography and information technology skills). Students showed improved willingness to manage, and comfort in managing PWD, and expressed support for future educational programs involving this patient cohort.
Conclusion: Improved knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personal values, as well as support for future programs, indicate the positive impact of extramural educational activities involving PWD in developing professionalism in patient care, while providing an opportunity for students to be exposed to managing patients with special needs.