METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among pre-clinical medical and dental students using convenience sampling. Questions regarding sociodemographic profile and responses to the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Score questionnaire (DASS-21) were collected. Multiple logistic regression testing was used to analyse the factors associated with smartphone addiction.

RESULTS: We invited 409 pre-clinical medical and dental students to participate voluntarily, resulting in a response rate of 80.2%. The prevalence of high-risk smartphone addiction among the participants was 47.9%. Male participants, participants who used smartphones mainly for social media, and participants with depressive symptoms were more likely to have a high risk of smartphone addiction. Medical students, participants who spent less than 3 hours per day on a smartphone, and participants who used smartphones for education-related activities were less likely to have a high risk of smartphone addiction.

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.