The purpose of this study was to determine the timing and sequence of emergence of the first 28 permanent teeth in a cross-section of Malay children in the district of Kota Bharu, in northeastern Peninsula Malaysia. The sample consists of 478 boys and 908 girls of Malay descent aged between 5-19 years. The criterion for tooth emergence was the appearance of the tooth through the gingivae. Descriptive statistics were calculated and probit regression analysis performed to determine the mean age of emergence of the permanent dentition. The mean age at emergence was found to conform to general trends, with emergence seen earlier in girls than in boys. Comparisons were made with the Chinese (Hong Kong) and the Punjabi (Chandigarh) profiles, which showed earlier emergence timings in those ethnic groups. The emergence timing in Malays, however, was earlier than in Thais (Central Thailand). The sequence of emergence was determined by referring to the mean age of tooth emergence of individual teeth and conforms to the general trend seen in other studies.
This study aimed to assess the nutritional status (BMI), oral health behaviour, sugar consumption and the associated factors with dental caries among a group of 7 to 11 years old children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Three hundred and twelve students were recruited from February to July 2013. Information gathered were their socio-demographic characteristics, body mass index, sugar consumption, oral-health behaviour, oral hygiene index and decay-missing-filled teeth (dmft) index. Anthropometry measurements and sugar intake was measured using verified tools. Meanwhile, dmft was examined using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. 53.7% of the children were of the normal body weight with mean sugar consumption of 31.81±4.24 g/day. Prevalence of dental caries was reported at 44.6% (95% CI: 42.2, 53.3) with a mean (SD) dmft of 1.27(1.84). No association was found between dental caries and weight status distribution. Most children tend to brush their teeth 2 times or more in a day (75%), however, they spent lesser time in tooth brushing (5.4%) and do not practice flossing (78%). Regression analysis showed that age (p
The reconstruction of the upper eyelid with medial canthal involvement post extensive removal of malignant tumour remains a challenge. Proper eyelid reconstruction is necessary to reestablish anatomic integrity, restoration of its functions and to maintain the best cosmetic appearance. These case reports illustrate an alternative reconstructive technique for large upper eyelid full thickness defect with medial canthal involvement. Two cases of upper eyelid tumours involving medial canthal region underwent staged reconstruction by glabellar flap advancement and reconstruction of the posterior lamellar with autologous graft using buccal mucosa and ear cartilage. The posterior lamellar graft and flap survived without any complication except for mild eyelid margin notching in one of the two cases. The staged reconstruction with glabellar flap advancement provides adequate defect coverage, excellent blood supply, maintains eyebrow contour and function of the eyelid. The flap also perfectly matches the surrounding tissue with minimal donor site morbidity.
Haemodialysis associated amyloidosis (HAA) is a complication of long-term haemodialysis caused by deposition of β2-microglobulin in tissues that most often presents clinically at osteoarticular sites. However, in very rarecircumstances, patients do present initially with oral manifestations of HAA. In a normally functioning kidney, β2-microglobulin is cleared by glomerular filtration and is catabolized in the proximal tubules. This article describes a patient with oral manifestation of haemodialysis associated amyloidosis with an unusual presenting complaint of lingual dysaesthesia.
This study aimed to review the availability of sugar-free medicine available in the market using the online Monthly Index of Medical Specialties (MIMS) Malaysia 2016. Data collection was obtained from product information (PI) for prescription medications contained in the MIMS Malaysia 2016. Concise information for each product was collected based on therapeutic class groupings. The therapeutic class obtained from PI was assigned to one of the 11 major therapeutic classes. PI that stated its use in paediatrics was further reviewed for the availability of sugar free ingredient. Each product was then allocated into the poison groups: Group B, Group C and Non-Scheduled Poison. A total of 282 PI items from 336 companies in MIMS Malaysia 2016 that satisfied our eligibility criteria were reviewed. Of the 282 PI items reviewed, most of the products, 169 (59.9%) were sugarbased product, while 87 (30.9%) of them belong to sugar free products. Our study found that most of the medicines reviewed in the MIMS Malaysia 2016 were under Group C (134 of total 282). There is still a high number of sugar-containing medicines despite the promotion of sugar-free medication. Therefore, consumers need to be educated on the use of sugar-free medicines in children to increase the demand and availability in the market.
Fungal ball is an extramucosal mycosis. The patient may present with facial pain, nasal blockage, purulent nasal discharge and cacosmia, the fungal ball being present unnoticed for years. Some patients do present as having other nasal problems and later on are found out to have a fungal ball incidentally. We present a case of 38 yearold man who was clinically diagnosed as having left antrochoanal polyp. Intraoperatively, a fungal ball was discovered in the left maxillary antrum.
The practice of quack dentistry worldwide is a challenge to the profession of dentistry as it undermines the trust of the general public and places the patients at unnecessary risks through their illegal practices. Although the ratio of patients to dentists is rapidly decreasing in Malaysia due to the increased output of qualified dentists from both local and foreign institutions, quack dentistry is still practiced in many areas. This report intends to highlight a popular treatment prescribed by these quack dentists which is removable partial dentures that is fixed to the adjacent teeth by cold cure acrylic. We also aim to discuss the design of the denture and the means employed to remove this ’fixed partial denture’. It is hoped that this case report will highlight the prevalence of the practice of quack dentistry especially in geographical area of this case report and allow the authorities to devise means to stop this illegal practice.
A case of a large dentigerous cyst associated with canine tooth in the maxillary antrum is presented. This case is of interest because of its extensiveness and the presence of an ectopic tooth in the roof of the maxillary sinus. Theoretical aspects of canine impaction and cyst formation are reviewed. The management of a jaw cyst, in particular, the still popular Caldwell-Luc procedure is discussed.
Linum usitatissimum commonly known as flaxseed is one of the oldest crops traditionally cultivated
mainly for its oil purposes. Flaxseed is widely known for its rich source of nutritive and bioactive compounds. Recently, it has gained considerable interest due to the potential health benefits attributed to its component of metabolites, including its antimicrobial properties. Two main components of flaxseed, the unsaturated fatty acids and lignan, are suggested as the main metabolites that exhibit antimicrobial activities. This paper aims to give an overview on fatty acid and phenolic compound in flaxseed and their possible activities as antimicrobial agents.
Oral cancer is one of the common cancer cases identified in the developing countries. Genetic mutation and overexpression of certain genes and proteins have been associated in the development of this cancer. Notch signalling pathway is normally involved in controlling the development process of vertebrates and invertebrates; however, deregulation of this pathway was found to be responsible in the formation of certain cancers including oral cancers. Activation of this pathway requires binding of the ligands to its receptors. Four NOTCH receptors (NOTCH 1, 2, 3 and 4) have been identified in mammals. Disruptions within these molecules might interfere with the normal functions of Notch signalling pathway. Hence, this study was conducted to detect mutations of NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 receptor genes which might be occurring in the oral cancer cases obtained from the local population. DNA extracted from fresh-frozen tissue biopsy of the tongue and buccal mucosa from 10 confirmed cases of oral cancer were subjected for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using the specific sets of primers. The PCR products were sent for sequencing before final results were analysed.
Due to time and cost limitation, only two out of four NOTCH receptor genes; NOTCH1 and NOTCH2, were used in this analysis. The results revealed absence of nucleotide changes for both NOTCH receptor genes amplified from these oral cancer samples. More samples and further analysis looking into other regions in these genes are required to conclude the involvement of NOTCH receptor genes mutation in causing oral cancer.
Perivitelline fluid (PVF) of the horseshoe crab embryo has been reported to possess an important role
during embryogenesis by promoting cell proliferation. This study aims to evaluate the effect of PVF on the
expression of cell cycle regulatory genes from human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) between different cell
passages viz. 4, 5, 6. The cells were treated with a single dose of PVF (26.89 mg/ml) PVF. Gene expression was
quantified for CDKNA2A, PTEN, MDM2 and TP53 genes using reverse transcriptase PCR. CDKN2A and MDM2
expression for treated and untreated DPSCs, expressed a similar pattern of expression. The higher expression of
CDKN2A showed that the treatment increased cell proliferation and prevented cell senescence. DPSCs with PVF
treatment showed increased expression of MDM2 at passage 4 and drastically declined expression at passage 5
and slightly increased at passage 6. TP53 expression of DPSCs treated group showed a higher expression
compared to untreated group. On the other hand, the expression of PTEN in DPSCs treated group started to
increase from passage 5 to 6. However, on the whole, the PTEN expression was higher than the untreated group
in all the passages studied here. The results showed that PVF could enhance cell cycle regulatory gene
expression in DPSCs as indicated by the higher expression of all the genes considered in this study at different
cell passages in the treated group compared to the untreated group. Mann Whitney test was utilized to determine
the significance of cell cycle regulatory genes expression between treated and untreated group. Significant
difference in expression of genes between the treated and untreated groups were found at all passages except
for CDKN2A gene whereby, its expression was not significantly different at passage 5 though it did express
slightly higher in PVF treated DPSCs.
Discovery of drugs from medicinal plants continues to provide major leads against various
pharmacological targets, particularly in cancer diseases. Hence, there are increasing demands to discover
more therapeutic agents from various species of medicinal plants. Chemical compounds in plants are
important for human beings due to their therapeutic properties. Goniothalamus umbrosus, Typhonium
flagelliforme, Myrmecodia pendens, Strobilanthes crispus and Clinacanthus nutans, are among the herbal
species, which are consumed by cancer patients in order to combat against the growth of cancer cells. The
present review aims to highlight on the anti-cancer properties of the listed Malaysian herbs.
Given that the germline mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 confer genetic susceptibility to cancer, the
genetic variations, polymorphisms or mutations are widely analyzed in Western countries. However, in Asian
population, the prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 polymorphisms is very limited. In Asia, breast cancer occurs in
women early with an age of onset under 50 years. This review comprises the incidence of BRCA1 and BRCA2
polymorphisms in the Japanese, Korean and Malaysian population. Founder mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2
were also compared to mark the genetic difference in these populations. The mutational analysis performed to
analyze the entire coding region of BRCA1 and BRCA2 include the next generation sequencing and full
sequencing of all exons and intron-exon junctions. From the diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)
patients, TNBC is associated with the lack of tailored therapies and the treatment option available for TNBC
patients is mainly chemotherapy. The poor prognosis of TNBC leads to determine the predictive biomarkers in
order to develop treatment efficacy. This review will address the current clinical therapies available to treat TNBC
patients.
Gingival overgrowth is frequently observed in patients taking certain drugs such as calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsants and immunosuppressant. This can have a significant effect on the quality of life as well as increasing the oral bacterial load by generating plaque retention sites. Amlodipine, a third generation calcium channel blockers has been shown to promote gingival overgrowth although in very limited cases reported. The management of gingival overgrowth seems to be directed at controlling gingival inflammation through a good oral hygiene regimen. However in severe cases, surgical excision is the most preferred method of treatment, followed by rigorous oral hygiene procedures. This case report describes the management of gingival overgrowth in a hypertensive patient taking amlodipine. Combination of surgical gingivectomy and CO2 laser treatment was used to remove the gingival overgrowth. CO2 laser surgery produced good hemostasis and less pain during the procedure and post operatively. This case report has also shown that periodontal treatment alone without a change in associated drug can yield satisfactory clinical response.
Tooth wear is the non-carious loss of tooth tissue due to attrition, erosion and/or abrasion. The amount of wear that accelerates physiological tooth wear is referred as pathological tooth wear. This study aims to determine the prevalence and mean scores according to mouth quadrant of raw tooth wear (RTW) and pathological tooth wear (PTW) and investigate sex association with PTW among 16-year-old secondary school children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. This cross-sectional study involves 688 participants randomly selected from eight government secondary schools. The Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index (TWI) was used. Data were analyzed using a simplified Microsoft Excel program developed based on the index to quantify PTW. Bar graphs were plotted to highlight the mean scores according to mouth quadrant. About 44% of participants were male and 56% were female. The prevalence of RTW and PTW among subjects was 100% and 20.1% respectively. It was found that 32.8% of tooth surfaces were affected with RTW and 0.7% of study subjects already had exposed dentine. The most affected quadrant for RTW and PTW was the upper and lower incisal quadrant respectively. Males had 92% more odds of developing tooth wear compared to females. In conclusion, all subjects have some degree of wear. About one-fifth of the study subjects were affected by PTW. The patterns of wear were similar to those encountered in the Western societies. There was statistically significant association between sex and PTW.
This study was to investigate the association between functional dentition with inadequate calorie intake and underweight in elderly people living in “Pondok” in Kelantan. A cross-sectional study participated by 369 elderly people was carried out. A simple random sampling method was utilized for the selection of the subjects. Subjects were interviewed using a structured form to collect information about subjects’ demographic background and self-reported health status. The 24-hour recall method was used to provide information on the subject’s exact food intake during the previous 24 hours. Body mass index was calculated from subjects’ weight and height, followed by oral assessment. The “Nutrical Software” was used for nutrient calculation, followed by SPSS version 11.5 for data analysis. The response rate was 95.6%. Majority of the respondents were female (92.4%). The percentage of subjects who had inadequate calorie intake and underweight was 71.0% and 25.7% respectively. The percentage of edentulism was 81.0%. The proportion of elderly with compromised functional dentition was 48.2% and majority was edentate elderly without wearing any complete dentures or wearing defective dentures, 23.6% and 56.2% respectively, while 20.2% was dentate elderly. The odds of having inadequate calorie intake and getting underweight among elderly with a compromised functional dentition was 3.7 times and 42.0 times respectively, compared to elderly with a non-compromised functional dentition. There was a significant association between inadequate calorie intake and underweight with functional dentition among elderly living in “Pondok” in Kelantan.
Limited information is available about the oral health of elderly people living in “Pondok” in Kelantan. This study aimed to assess the dentition status of elderly population staying in Islamic Religious Community Setup, “Pondok” in Kelantan. A cross sectional study involving 369 elderly people was carried out. A simple random sampling method was utilized for the selection of the subjects. Oral examination was done to assess the dentition status and data was analyzed using SPSS 11.5 version. The response rate was 95.6%. Majority of the subjects were edentulous (81.0%). The mean number of natural teeth, functional natural teeth, decayed teeth (D), missing teeth (M) and teeth indicated for extraction (X) were 3.22 (SD 7.54), 2.75 (SD 6.70), 0.06 (SD 0.48), 28.80 (SD 7.51) and 0.41 (SD 1.60) respectively. Among 70 dentate subjects, the mean number of natural teeth, functional natural teeth, occluding pair of functional natural teeth, decayed teeth (D), missing teeth (M), teeth indicated for extraction (X) and DMFX(T) index were 17.1 (SD 8.00), 14.5 (SD 8.11), 6.3 (SD 4.22), 0.3 (SD 1.06), 15.1 (SD 8.20), 2.2 (SD 3.14) and 17.6 (SD 8.08) respectively. There was no teeth had been filled (F). The proportion of subjects having minimum 20 functional natural teeth was 7.3%. The above results indicate that dental caries status of elderly people living in “Pondok” in Kelantan was unsatisfactory with high percentage of edentulism, contributing to the high value of the mean DMFX(T) index, 29.3 (SD 6.63).
This study aims to determine the prevalence of denture wearing among elderly and to compare the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) between elderly with dentures and those without dentures. This cross sectional study involved 506 randomly selected edentulous elderly in the district of Badang, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Consented participants were interviewed in the Kelantanese dialect at their homes by a single trained interviewer using the short version Oral Health Impact Profile [S-OHIP(M)] which had been translated into the Malay language, tested and validated for use in Malaysian population. Denture wearing and self rated denture status was noted. The prevalence of denture wearing was 46.2% (95% CI=41.83, 50.70). There was a significant difference in sex, smoking status, self perceived treatment need and self perceived satisfaction between denture wearers and non denture wearers. Denture wearers reported better overall OHRQoL compared to non denture wearers (p
Renal cancer is a rare occurrence in all adult malignancies, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type. Due to its aggressive behaviour and high tendency for metastasis, manifestation of RCC varies, often with non-urologic features or symptoms from metastatic sites. Metastatic RCC to the head and neck region is rare particularly to the tongue are extremely rare. We report an elderly lady who presented with recurrent tongue mass metastasis from RCC, a rare cancer with even rarer metastatic site.
Primary thyroid lymphoma is a relatively uncommon pathology of the thyroid gland that mainly occurs in elderly females. We describe a rare case of B-cell thyroid lymphoma in a young healthy male. It is an important diagnosis to be considered in patients presenting with a rapidly enlarging neck mass as its management is different from other differentiated thyroid carcinoma which require total thyroidectomy plus adjuvant radioactive iodine ablation. Our report emphasizes the need for clinical awareness leading to early detection, followed by early multidisciplinary management.