Introduction: Smoking is a common risk factor for periodontal disease and other chronic diseases. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of smoking among army personnel and its association with periodontal health status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among randomly selected 233 army personnel in 8th Brigade Infantry, Kelantan. A face validated self-administered Bahasa Malaysia questionnaire was used for data col- lection. Periodontal examination was done using Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and coded as ‘0’ for healthy; ‘1’ for bleeding observation; ‘2’ for detection of calculus; ‘3’ for probing of 4-5mm pocketing and ‘4’ for probing of 6mm or more pocketing. Results: All respondents (n=233) were male, the majority (92.7%) Malays, not married (60.5%) with the mean (SD) age of 25.8 (5.06) years. The prevalence of smoking among army personnel was 76.0% (95% CI: 70.4, 81.5). Almost all (97.4%) have some degree of periodontal disease. The non-smoker, ex-smoker and smoker groups were highest for having calculus with a percentage of 40.5%, 57.1%, and 57.1%, respectively. No significant association was found between smoking status (ever-smoker and non-smoker) and periodontal pocketing (CPI 0-2 and CPI 3-4) (p=0.960). However, the ever-smokers (93.2%) significantly higher percentage for the need of invasive treatment (CPI >2) compared to the non-smokers (76.2%) (p=0.002). Conclusion: The prevalence of smok- ing among army personnel in North-East Malaysia was high, with most of them have some degree of periodontal disease. Smoking cessation intervention should be strategized in the military community to reduce the burden of care for chronic diseases.
Prolonged work with highly repetitious flexion and extension of the wrist and forceful grip task were shown to increase the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among dental personnel. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence, risk factors and coping strategies of probable CTS among clinical dental support staff in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). A cross-sectional study was conducted and a set of questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic status, work-related and psychosocial risk factors and coping strategies was distributed. Ninety-five clinical dental support staff completed and returned the questionnaire with a response rate of 80.5%. The prevalence of probable CTS was 38.9%, with the highest prevalence was found among dental surgery assistants (40.5%) followed by dental technologists (29.7%). There was no significant association between work-related or psychosocial risk factors with probable CTS (p>0.05). Most of the respondents with symptoms of CTS chose religion as the coping mechanism; mean 7.11 (SD 1.13). Awareness training should be emphasized among clinical dental support staff on the prevention of CTS.
Study site: Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM)