Readability and suitability of oral health education pamphlets produced by the Ministry of Health Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Printed health education materials can only be effective if they are readable and suitable for the target audience. This study examined the readability and suitability of oral health education (OHE) pamphlets produced by the Oral Health Program (OHP), Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia. METHODS: The Khadijah Rohani's Readability Formula (KRRF) and Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument were used to assess the readability and suitability of the pamphlets respectively. All 23 Bahasa Malaysia pamphlets retrieved from the official portal of OHP on the 31st January 2019 were assessed for suitability. However, only five pamphlets were found to be eligible for readability assessment because the KRRF, the single formula available for Bahasa Malaysia text is applicable only for materials with 300 words or more. The readability is interpreted based on the level of formal education in Malaysia. RESULTS: All pamphlets achieved superior suitability rating with a minimum and maximum score of 75% and 95% respectively. However, a few pamphlets did not fulfil SAM superior and adequate criteria for the following factors and were rated not suitable: did not include summary (73.9%), have few or no headers (4.3%), did not use captions to explain graphics (17.4%), and did not provide interactive learning (21.7%). Readability of the pamphlets eligible for assessment ranged from primary six to secondary three. CONCLUSIONS: OHE pamphlets produced by the MOH are readable by most Malaysians. Most pamphlets are generally suitable for the intended audience although a few performed poorly in several areas.

Antibacterial property of locally produced hydroxyapatite

Use of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) in biomedical applications is well warranted. It has shown to have an excellent biocompatibility in human tooth and bones. Additionally it has been documented to possess antibacterial potentials. The present study was conducted to assess the presence of any such potential in locally produced (HA) using Streptococcus mutans, a common pathogen in the oral cavity. The study was carried out using 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400 and 800 mg/ml concentration of HA. The antibacterial property of HA was assessed using Miles and Misra method. Our studies showed that bacterial growth inhibitions of S. mutans occurred from 50 mg/ml, and complete inhibition was perceived at concentrations at 200mg/ml of HA. The antibacterial property HA should be used to good advantage as a bioactive biomaterial in dental and maxillofacial applications.