ABSTRACT
@#Despite the fines and action taken by authorities against illegal dental practise, it could not be eliminated and remain a threat to the public’s oral health. The aim of this study was to gather holistic evidence on unlicensed dental practice by collating news coverage, scientific research publications, and information on social media activities of illegal dental practitioners. Information on news coverage was collated via Google, Yahoo and Bing while information on research publications was obtained through three databases, Scopus, Pubmed and Google Scholar. Public data from Facebook and Instagram were extracted to gain information on illegal dental services actively provided. Out of 195 news reported regarding unlicensed dental practitioner, only 110 news reported on legal actions received with 81 news reports were on financial punishments, and the rest was on jail terms or probation. For scientific publications, only 13 related publications were found, and the majority were case reports. Despite having a law that stated an unlicensed dentist would be punished, there were more than 170 Facebook, and Instagram users with thousands of followers found actively offering illegal dental services to the public. In conclusion, not much attention was paid by the scientific community on illegal dental practice despite it being a significant public health issue and covered quite thoroughly in the news, and services are still actively offered through social media. This descriptive report helps give a holistic perspective on the illegal dental service providers issue, especially in Malaysia.
ABSTRACT
@#The important role of non-dental healthcare professionals (HCPs) in promoting oral health is well-accepted and has received increased attention in recent years. However, greater efforts are needed to train them in ensuring better competency in delivering this role. The aim of the present study is to assess oral health and care knowledge among HCPs by further exploring possible challenges faced by them in managing oral health problems, particularly in regard to patients in a public primary healthcare clinic. In the case of the current research, a focus group discussion was carried out with ten HCPs who are directly involved with patients from different units within the health clinics. In particular, the questions developed for the focus group discussion were divided into two parts: (1) knowledge on oral health and its link to general health, and (2) issues and challenges faced by HCPs in handling patients with oral health problems in their daily routine. The session was recorded on a digital audio tape, the responses were then transcribed, followed by the grouping of the scripts which were then qualitatively analysed. The results revealed that majority of the participants appeared to have good knowledge of general and basic oral health; however, only very few of them were aware of the relationship between oral health problems with systemic conditions. Meanwhile, one of the main challenges faced by HCPs in handling patients with oral health problems is their limited knowledge of oral health problems. Specifically, the main challenges refer to the management of medically compromised patient requiring dental treatment as well as the difficulty in changing the mindset of patients regarding oral health issues, especially in terms of seeking dental treatment. In conclusion, it has been clearly observed that HCPs involved in the present study have good knowledge of general health and oral health but limited knowledge related to oral health to systemic health. Furthermore, they tend to face numerous challenges when dealing with patients, especially due to their limited knowledge of oral health facts and drug prescription for oral problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need of additional training for both HCPs and dental teams for the purpose of enabling both parties to provide coordinated and comprehensive service to patients with oral health problems at the primary healthcare clinics.