One of the undeniable facts about living is that everyday we are getting older. By 2050, it is projected that one out of every five Malaysians will be 60 or older. The economic challenge of this demographic change will affect development and the financial implications of sustaining well being of this group are formidable and complex. This population group has extensive oral disease, medical problems that complicate their oral care, and unique dental treatment challenges. The authors discuss the problem of oral healthcare among the aged, its impediments and propose some approaches for improvement to better serve the needs of this group of vulnerable members of our nation.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and association of speech disorders among operated cleft lip and palate children (CLP) in Northeast Malaysia. A comparative cross sectional study was performed on 98 operated CLP and 109 non-cleft subjects that aged between 3- 12-years-old. Data collection was done clinically and also by recording speech samples of each subject from both groups using a portable cassette recorder. Results showed that the prevalence of speech abnormality was 61.2% (95% CI: 51.41-71.04) and the risk of having speech abnormality was 174.5 times (95% CI: 23.04, 1320.67; P value < 0.001) in CLP children compared to non-cleft children. Therefore it was found that children with appropriately repaired CLP in Northeast Malaysia failed to have normal speech.