Effect of oral health education programme on oral health awareness and plaque maturity status among hearing-impaired children

@#Many studies have indicated that hearing-impaired (HI) children have poor oral hygiene mainly contributed by difficulties in communication. The objectives of the study were to assess the difficulties experienced by HI children during dental visit and the effectiveness of “Oral Health Care for the Hearing-Impaired” (OCHI) programme in improving the oral health knowledge and practice, and reducing the dental plaque maturity scores among HI children. A community intervention study was conducted and training of trainers (TOT) was done to train the teachers in delivering oral health education (OHE) and practices by using developed booklet and video. The difficulties faced by the HI children during dental visit, and the oral health knowledge and practice (OHKP) were assessed by face-to -face interview with HI children whilst the dental plaque maturity was assessed using GC Tri Plaque ID Gel™ (TPID) during pre-intervention, post-intervention-1 and post-intervention-2. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22. Among the teachers, there was an increase in the mean (SD) total knowledge and attitude score during post-TOT compared to pre-TOT, 46.1 (2.44) and 43.7 (4.01); (p<0.001) and 16.7 (2.11) and 14.3 (2.38); (p<0.001) respectively. For the oral health practice, there were positive changes in practice among teachers during post-TOT compared to pre-TOT. There were also significant changes in mean knowledge scores of HI children with time (p=0.003) and the plaque maturity scores were significantly reduced during post-intervention-1 and post-intervention-2. Thus, the OCHI programme was effective in improving oral hygiene among HI children. However, the inconsistent pattern was observed for their oral health practices that need further research..

Awareness and Knowledge of Oral Cancer among Siamese Ethnic Group in Tumpat, Kelantan

ntroduction: Oral cancer is a life-threatening disease. Lack of public awareness is a potent barrier for the early detection of oral cancer, especially for high-risk populations. Objective: This study aimed to determine the awareness and knowledge of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer among a Siamese ethnic group in Tumpat, Kelantan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a guided questionnaire on sociodemography, habits, awareness and knowledge of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of oral cancer. Individuals under 18 years old and who had been diagnosed with oral cancer were excluded from this study. Results: A total of 195 respondents participated, 61.5% were female and the mean age was 46 (1.64). About 41% of the respondents had received secondary education and 35.4% were illiterate. Most respondents were self-employed (21.5%), followed by farmers (19.5%) and housewives (20%). The majority of them had a monthly income that fell below the poverty level of RM 830 (76.9%). Among the respondents, 22.6% had the habit of smoking, 25.6% consumed alcohol, 8.2% were betel quid chewers and 2.6% chewed tobacco. Out of 195 respondents, only 6.7% were aware of oral cancer. About 16.9% of the respondents correctly answered all of the questions regarding the signs and symptoms of oral cancer and only 4.1% knew the risk factors of oral cancer. Conclusion: The awareness and knowledge of oral cancer in this targeted population were unsatisfactory. Future effective health promotion programs and education should be emphasised.

Probable carpal tunnel syndrome and its coping strategies among clinical dental support staff in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

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.

Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Nurses toward Oral Health and Oral Health Care of Pregnant Women

Background: This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of medical nurses regarding oral health and oral health care of pregnant women. Methods: This cross sectional study of 133 nurses in the district of Tumpat, Kelantan (Malaysia) used self-administered questionnaires. Results: Most nurses knew that dental plaque is associated with periodontal disease (97.7%). However, most nurses erroneously believed that tooth decay (86.5%) and excessive sugar consumption (87.2%) led to periodontal disease. About half of the nurses knew about the relationship between periodontal disease of pregnant women and low birth weight (43.6%) and preterm birth (48.9%). Many nurses had the misconception that the developing foetus draws calcium from the mothers’ teeth (78.2%). Most nurses had good attitudes toward improving their oral health knowledge (97.0%) and agreed they should help to deliver oral health education to pregnant women (94.0%). Age, length of service as a nurse, and length of service in antenatal care had no effect on the scores for the nurses’ knowledge and attitude regarding oral health and oral health care of pregnant women. Conclusion: Medical nurses had limited knowledge about oral health of pregnant women and had some misunderstandings about oral health, although they had good attitudes. Age, length of service as a nurse, and length service in antenatal care had no effect on the knowledge and attitude scores of the nurses.

Referral of pregnant women to dentists and advice for dental visit by medical nurses

Objective: Dental attendance among pregnant women has been low although they frequently experience oral health problems. Nurses who provide antenatal health care are well positioned to advise and refer their pregnant patients to dentists. this study aimed to assess the practices of medical nurses regarding advice for dental visits and referral of their pregnant patients to dentists. Methods: A total of 202 medical nurses who provide antenatal health care at Ministry of Health facilities in the district of Kota bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia were included in this cross-sectional study. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on variables of interest. Results: Most nurses frequently advised (90.6%) and referred (91.1%) their pregnant patients to dentists, although some (9.4%) advised their patients to defer dental visits until after parturition. Multivariable analysis indicated that individuals who worked as nurses for 10 years or fewer and had their own dental visits within the past year were more likely to advise their patients to see dentists with adjusted OR of 3.98 (95% cI=1.37-11.54) and 2.58 (95% cI=0.99-6.70) respectively. Nurses who visited dentists within the past year were also more likely to make dental referrals (OR=3.46, 95% cI=1.32-9.10). conclusions: Most nurses routinely advise and refer their pregnant patients for dental visits. the time since a nurse’s last personal dental visit was associated with their advice and referral of patients to dentists, and duration employment as a nurse was associated with advising patients for dental visits.

Salivary parameters, dental caries experience and treatment needs of hearing-impaired children in a special school for deaf in Kelantan, Malaysia

Dental caries is the main oral health problem in hearing-impaired (HI) children and remains the most neglected need. The present study aimed to determine caries prevalence and treatment needs in HI children and the association with salivary parameters. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 63 HI children aged between 7-14 years who attended a special school for the deaf. Clinical oral examination was done and salivary parameters (resting flow rate and resting pH) were measured. Caries experience was charted using the index of decay-filled teeth (dft) and Decay-Missing-Filled Teeth (DMFT) for primary and permanent dentition respectively. Data were analysed using SPSS version 12.0. The mean age was 11.5 (SD 2.39) years and 53.8% were female. Dental caries prevalence was 88.0% (95% Cl: 73.0, 100.0) in primary dentition and 85.0% (95% Cl: 73.0, 96.0) in permanent dentition. The mean dft was 6.1 (SD 4.14) and the mean DMFT was 4.9 (SD 3.28). The mean resting flow rate was 0.14 (SD 0.08) ml/min while mean pH was 6.8 (SD 0.79). Both pit and fissure sealants and restorations were the highest (83.1%) treatment needs. Only 3.1% of the children did not require any treatment. There were no significant association between both salivary flow rate and salivary pH with caries experience in the primary (p=0.342, p=0.610 respectively) and permanent (p= 0.99, p=0.70 respectively) teeth. In conclusion, children with HI have high caries prevalence and unmet need for dental treatments. Salivary pH and resting flow rate of the children were not associated with their caries experience.

Evaluation of training programme for non-health professionals as oral health educators

Involvement of oral health educators among non-health professionals in oral health promotion is important in the prevention of oral diseases. This study was carried out to compare the level of oral health knowledge among pre-school teachers before and after oral health seminar. Pre-test data was collected by distributing questionnaire to pre-school teachers in Pasir Mas, who attended the seminar on “Oral Health” (n=33) and they were required to fill anonymously before the seminar started. The questions consisted of information on general background, perceived oral health status, oral health knowledge and the environment where they work. After two weeks, post-test data was collected using the same structured questionnaire and identification code was used to match the pre and post data. SPSS 11.5 was use for statistical analysis. Two out of 33 eligible preschool teachers were considered non-respondents due to absenteeism during the post-test data collection. The response rate was 94.0% (n = 31). The study shows a significant improvement in oral health knowledge among pre-school teachers in Pasir Mas, after seminar (p < 0.001) as compared to controls. Thus, we can conclude that the oral health programme (seminar) appeared effective at influencing oral health educator’s knowledge towards oral health.