MyMedR

Fulltext Hearing loss in diving--a study amongst Navy divers

Zulkaflay AR, Saim L, Said H, Mukari SZ, Esa R

Med J Malaysia, 1996 Mar;51(1):103-8.

Despite the commonly observed condition of middle and inner ear barotrauma among divers, there is little evidence of insidious and permanent development of sensorineural hearing loss associated with diving. An audiometric survey was performed on a group of 120 divers and 166 non divers from the Royal Malaysian Naval Base in Lumut, West Malaysia between July to December 1991. The results of this survey revealed that insidious development of high frequency sensorineural hearing loss may be associated with diving. At frequencies 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz the divers had higher mean hearing levels than non divers and their hearing at those frequencies seemed to deteriorate faster. The etiology of this insidious hearing loss is multifactorial and may be related to inner ear barotrauma, decompression sickness or noise-induced deafness.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the middle ear and mastoid in children

Said H, Phang KS, Razi A, Khuzaiyah R, Patawari PH, Esa R

J Laryngol Otol, 1988 Jul;102(7):614-9.

PMID: 3411216

Three cases of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in the middle ear and mastoid in children are presented. Diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology. A multidisciplinary approach employing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy is the method of choice in the management of this rare and highly lethal condition.

Utilization, knowledge and attitudes concerning sealants among Malaysian dentists: a national survey

Abdul Razak IA, Esa R, Jalallundin RL, Jaafar N

J Pedod, 1990;14(4):242-5.

PMID: 2098079

The aim of this postal survey was to assess the utilization, knowledge and attitude concerning sealants among Malaysian dentists. A pretested questionnaire was sent to all dentists (1217) who were on the Dentist Register of Malaysia of 1987. A response rate of 61.1% was obtained. The results indicate that 52.6% of the respondents have used sealants, but of these only 13.6% have used them frequently. The two "knowledge" related questions receiving the most support concerned the suitability of the first permanent molars for sealants and the loss of sealants attributable to problems at the time of application. The two "attitudinal" questions receiving the most support concerned the value of sealants in preventing dental caries and the need for the profession to expand more efforts toward increasing public demand for sealants. Only about 50% of the respondents believed that sealants are cost-effective.

Impact of the special care dentistry education on Malaysian students' attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to treat people with learning disability

Mohamed Rohani M, Ahmad Fuad N, Ahmad MS, Esa R

Eur J Dent Educ, 2022 Nov;26(4):741-749.

PMID: 34939257 DOI: 10.1111/eje.12756

INTRODUCTION: Special Care Dentistry (SCD) education has been introduced in Malaysia, but there are limited number of studies about its impact to students. Thus, this study aimed to explore the level of students' readiness to treat people with learning disability (PWLD) based on their attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to treat.

METHODS: A questionnaire was developed based on the Dental Student Attitude to the Handicapped Scale, Scale of Attitudes to the Disabled Persons and Health Action Process Approach. The self-administered, validated questionnaire was tested for reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .71-.81), before being distributed to clinical dental students of both genders from two universities (University A, n = 176 and University B, n = 175). Quantitative data were analysed via t test and ANOVA (p

Fulltext The relationship of dental caries and dental fear in Malaysian adolescents: a latent variable approach

Esa R, Ong AL, Humphris G, Freeman R

BMC Oral Health, 2014;14:19.

PMID: 24621226 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-14-19

To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.

Fulltext Psychometric properties of the faces version of the Malay-modified child dental anxiety scale

Esa R, Hashim NA, Ayob Y, Yusof ZY

BMC Oral Health, 2015 Mar 10;15:28.

PMID: 25886943 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-015-0013-y

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDASf) Malay version in 5-6 and 9-12 year-old children.
METHODS: The MCDASf was cross culturally adapted from English into Malay. The Malay version was tested for reliability and validity in 3 studies. In the Study 1, to determine test-retest reliability of MCDASf scale, 166 preschool children aged 5-6 years were asked to rank orders five cartoons faces depicting emotions from 'very happy' to 'very sad' faces on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart. A total of 87 other 5-6 year-old children completed the Malay-MCDASf on two separate occasions 3 weeks apart to determine test-retest reliability for Study 2. In study 3, 239 schoolchildren aged 9-12 years completed the Malay-MCDASf and the Malay-Dental Subscale of the Children Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS) at the same sitting to determine the criterion and construct validity.
RESULTS: In study 1, Kendall W test showed a high degree of concordance in ranking the cartoon faces picture cards on each of the 2 occasions (time 1, W = 0.955 and time 2, W = 0.954). The Malay-MCDASf demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.63, p <0.001) and acceptable internal consistency for all the 6 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77) and 8 items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73). The highest MCDASf scores were observed for the items 'injection in the gum' and 'tooth taken out' for both age groups. The MCDASf significantly correlated with the CFSS-DS (Pearson r = 0.67, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: These psychometric findings support for the inclusion of a cartoon faces rating scale to assess child dental anxiety and the Malay-MCDASf is a reliable and valid measure of dental anxiety in 5-12 year-old children.

A school-based fluoride mouth rinsing programme in Sarawak: a 3-year field study

Chen CJ, Ling KS, Esa R, Chia JC, Eddy A, Yaw SL

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol, 2010 Aug;38(4):310-4.

PMID: 20560998 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2010.00529.x

This study was undertaken to assess the impact of fluoride mouth rinsing on caries experience in a cohort of schoolchildren 3 years after implementation.

Fulltext Detection of dengue viruses using reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Teoh BT, Sam SS, Tan KK, Johari J, Danlami MB, Hooi PS, et al.

BMC Infect Dis, 2013;13:387.

PMID: 23964963 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-387

BACKGROUND: Early and rapid detection of dengue virus (DENV) infection during the febrile period is crucial for proper patient management and prevention of disease spread. An easy to perform and highly sensitive method is needed for routine implementation especially in the resource-limited rural healthcare settings where dengue is endemic.
METHODS: A single-tube reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay with a set of nine primers was developed for the detection of all four DENV serotypes and their different genotypes. The sensitivity and specificity of the RT-LAMP were evaluated. The clinical applicability of RT-LAMP assay for detection of DENV RNA was assessed in a total of 305 sera of clinically-suspected dengue patients. The test results of RT-LAMP were statistically compared to those of quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), IgM- and IgG-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
RESULTS: Acute DENV infection was confirmed in 171 samples (n = 305); 43.3% (74/171) and 46.8% (80/171) of the samples were positive for DENV using RT-LAMP and qRT-PCR, respectively. The combination of RT-LAMP with the dengue IgM and IgG ELISA increased detection of acute DENV infection to 97.7% (167/171), in comparison to only 70.8% (121/171) when dengue IgM and IgG ELISA alone were used. The RT-LAMP assays showed high concordance (κ = 0.939) with the qRT-PCR. The RT-LAMP assay detected up to 10 copies of virus RNA within an hour but 100% reproducibility (12/12) was achieved with 100 copies. There was no cross reactivity of RT-LAMP with other closely related arboviruses.
CONCLUSION: The RT-LAMP assay developed in this study is sensitive, specific and simple to perform. The assay improved the detection of dengue when used in combination with serological methods.

Fulltext Is the burden of oral diseases higher in urban disadvantaged community compared to the national prevalence?

Jaafar N, Hakim H, Mohd Nor NA, Mohamed A, Saub R, Esa R, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2014;14 Suppl 3:S2.

PMID: 25438162 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-S3-S2

The urban low income has often been assumed to have the greatest dental treatment needs compared to the general population. However, no studies have been carried out to verify these assumptions. This study was conducted to assess whether there was any difference between the treatment needs of an urban poor population as compared to the general population in order to design an intervention programme for this community.

Displaying publications 21 - 29 of 29 in total