In response to the introduction of an integrated dental education program at University of Malaya (UM) in 2011, a study was conducted to develop a caries risk assessment model (CRA) for use in non-surgical caries management for Year 3 and 4 students of the new integrated program. Methods: The CRA model was based on risk indicators used by dental students in the Preventive Dental Clinic (PDC). Patients aged 15 years and above who attended the PDC for the first time in year 2009 and 2010 were used as study sample. Four hundred and fourteen patient names were identified from the student PDC logbook. Of the 414, 359 dental records had complete data and included in the analysis. Data were analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Chi-square test was used for group comparison and associated factors for coronal caries were analysed using Multiple Logistic Regression (MLR). Results: The final model showed that adults, brushing teeth once daily, and not having dental prosthesis/appliance were 3.31 (CI=1.64-6.69), 2.53 (CI=1.19-5.40), and 2.25 (CI=1.25-4.10) more likely to develop coronal caries, respectively, than adolescents, brushing teeth at least twice a day, and having dental prosthesis/appliance. Conclusions: The results indicate that age group, toothbrushing frequency and dental prosthesis status are significant indicators for coronal caries among patients. Outcomes of the study contributed towards bridging the gap between cariology
and preventive modules in the new integrated dental program.
The aim of the article is to report on the perception of utilizers of government dental services towards the preservation of natural teeth for life and relate it to their past utilization pattern and the associated demographic factors. All patients aged 15 years and over attending ten randomly selected government dental clinics in Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan and Negri Sembilan during the study period of thirty non consecutive outpatients days were interviewed and examined clinically. Five-hundred and fifty subjects were included in the survey. It was found that the majority of respondents (63%)have a.rather pessimistic perception of their ability to preserve natural teeth for life and most have a very poor past utilization behaviour (90%).The most pessimistic and worst utilization behaviour was reported by the Malay ethnic group, the least formally educated and the lowest income group (p O.O1).It is postulated that one of the main reason for this trend among Malay respondents could be due to their lower educational and income status, rather than cultural influences. Further research into the influence of culture on the utilization pattern of the Malays is therefore recommended.
Amalgam has been widely used in dentistry and its components may cause some oral mucosal changes (OMC), commonly presenting as oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs), acute or generalized sensitivity reaction or amalgam tattoo. Our objective was to determine the demographic and clinical profile of patients with and without OMC adjacent to their amalgam restorations (AR) and to evaluate the prevalence and types of AR-related OMC and associated clinical parameters. Materials and methods: In this retrospective crosssectional study, 83 outpatients attending the Primary Dental Care Unit at the Faculty of Dentistry, University Malaya were examined for the presence of AR-related OMC. The study period was from early to mid July 2016. Firstly, patients’ personal details (age, gender, medical status, social habits) were analyzed and history of AR (the age, condition and number of restorations) was determined. Clinical examination of patient’s oral cavity was carried out to detect any AR-related OMC. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS 12.0.1 Result: Approximately 14.6 % patients had OMC. OLLs and amalgam tattoo made up 1.2% and 13.4% respectively. Females (8.4%) had higher predilection and Chinese were more commonly affected (8.4%). Social habits were not associated with OMC. Certain systemic diseases, age (p=0.005) and duration of amalgam (p=0.007) in the oral cavity were significant risk factors for OMC. Conclusions: Present findings suggest that AR-related OMC is uncommon. Three key parameters namely systemic diseases, patient’s age and duration of AR were identified as significant risk factors predisposing to the development of OMCs.