Proper and adequate attitudes about infection control is important for clinical dental students, who may be exposed daily to virus. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of clinical dental students in Indonesia about infection control during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In a cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2021, an electronic survey was administered to the dental students in clinical training at Indonesian dental schools. The online self-administered questionnaire consisted of two sections: sociodemographic information and attitude about infection control. The participants were 238 clinical dental students. Most of them were female, with an average age of 23.8 years (±3.3 years). The analysis of sociodemographic variables of the respondents showed that the more years of clinical training the students had, the stronger was their willingness to wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Clinical dental students in Indonesia in general have a positive attitude about infection control. However, courses at dental schools still need to include information about the additional roles of dentistry that account for pandemics.

Objective: To investigate the current and future teaching of posterior composite restorations in undergraduate curricula in Malaysian dental schools. Methods: A 24-item validated questionnaire including closed and open questions on the teaching of posterior composites was emailed to faculty members in all 13 Dental Schools in Malaysia. Responses were compiled on Excel and analysed. Results: All 13 dental schools responded to the survey yielding a 100 % response. All schools indicated the use of posterior composites for 2- and 3-surface cavities in premolars and molars. The didactic teaching time devoted to composites was greater than for amalgam (38 h vs 29 h). Clinically, most posterior restorations placed by students were composites (average 74.1 %, range 10 %–100 %); the remaining 25.9 % were amalgams (range, 0 %–50 %). Slot-type cavities were the preparation techniques most commonly taught (n = 11,84.6 %). The use of rubber dam for moisture control was mandatory in most schools (n = 11, 84.6 %). History of adverse reaction to composites was found to be the most common contraindication to composite placement. The phase down of teaching and use of amalgam in Malaysia is expected to occur within the next six years. Conclusion: The trend to increase the teaching of posterior composites reported for other countries is confirmed by the findings from Malaysian dental schools. Notwithstanding this trend, the use of amalgam is still taught, and future studies are required to investigate the implications of the phase down of amalgam in favour of posterior composites. Clinical significance: Notwithstanding the increase in the teaching of posterior composites there is a pressing need to update and refine clinical guidelines for the teaching of posterior composites globally.

Computer-aided learning (CAL) offers enormous potential in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers. The effectiveness of CAL, however, remains unclear. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence on the effectiveness of CAL in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers. Materials and Methods: A structured comprehensive search was undertaken among 7 electronic databases (PUBMED, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, SCOPUS, WEB of SCIENCE, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) to identify relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included in this review. Papers were screened by 2 independent reviewers, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for further assessment. Results: A total of 2915 papers were screened, and full texts of 53 potentially relevant papers (kappa = 0.885) were retrieved. A total of 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria (1 RCT, 1 quasi-experimental study, and 3 postintervention studies) were identified. Outcome measures included knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Significant improvements in clinical oral health parameters (P<. 05) and knowledge/attitudes (P<. 001) were reported in 2 of the studies. The 3 remaining studies reported improved oral health behaviors and confidence. Conclusion: There is a limited number of studies which have examined the effectiveness of CAL interventions for oral health care among patients and caregivers. Synthesis of the data suggests that CAL has positive impacts on knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Further high-quality studies on the effectiveness of CAL in promoting oral health are warranted.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine "intention to" and "performance of" oral hygiene care to stroke patients using the Theory of Planned Behavior. Materials and methods: A large scale survey of 13 centers in Malaysia was conducted involving 806 nurses in relation to oral hygiene care intentions and practices. In addition, information on personal and environmental factors was collected. Results: The response rate was 95.6% (778/806). The domains of the Theory of Planned Behavior were significantly associated with general intention to perform oral hygiene care: attitudes (beta = 0.21, p < 0.001), subjective norms (b = 0.38, p < 0.001), perceived behavior control (b = 0.04, p < 0.001); after controlling for personal and environmental factors. Approximately two-thirds (63.4%, 493) reported the performance of some form of oral hygiene care for patients. This behavior was associated with general intention scores (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.05-1.22, p < 0.01), controlling for other factors. Knowledge scores, training, access to oral hygiene guidelines and kits, as well as working ward type were identified as key factors associated with intention and practice of oral hygiene care. Conclusion: The Theory of Planned Behavior provides understanding of "intention to" and "performance of" oral hygiene care to stroke patients. Several provider and environmental factors were also associated with intentions and practices. This has implications for understanding and improving the implementation of oral hygiene care in stroke rehabilitation.

Introduction: A few studies investigated the numerous potential endodontic uses of CBCT, including the examination of root canal morphology and presumed that CBCT was effective for the initial identification of such morphology; moreover CBCT is a reliable method for the detection of the MB2 canal when compared with the gold standard of physical sectioning of the specimen. The aim of this study was to identify the root and canal morphology of the maxillary first molars among Malaysians analysed by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods: Maxillary first (n = 421) molars from Malaysian patients (n = 241) of Malay, Chinese and Indians inceptions were examined by two Endodontists using in vivo CBCT methods. The number and configuration of roots, the number of root canals, and the canal configuration according to Vertucci’s classification were determined. Results: Single roots were not found in maxillary first molars. The incidence of fused roots was 1.995% in the first molars between mesiobuccal and distobuccal roots. In (421) 3-rooted maxillary first molars, additional canals were found in 45.6% of the mesiobuccal (MB) roots and 0% of the distobuccal (DB) roots. Bilateral symmetry of the MB roots was found in 82.36% of the first molar. Only one tooth was found to have pulp stone inside the pulp chamber. Conclusions: The root and canal configuration of a Malaysian population showed different features from those of other populations. CBCT scans can enhance the understanding of root canal anatomy, with the potential of improving the outcome of endodontic treatment.

This scoping review aimed to gain an insight into the oral health status, behaviour, knowledge, and risk among cardiovascular patients, as well as to explore challenges and to make a recommendation concerning oral health and cardiovascular patients. It focused on four key areas, namely oral health status, behaviour, knowledge, and associated risk factors. Relevant studies were searched using a combination of keywords and related search terms. Four available databases were used; EBSCOhost, Scopus, Proquest, and Pubmed to identify the relevant studies. A total of 789 papers were screened and duplicated papers were removed, 28 papers were retrieved for full-text review. It was found that most cardiovascular patients have poor oral health, while their oral health behaviour and knowledge were at a fair level. There are a limited number of studies assessing oral health conditions during cardiac rehabilitation. In general, protocol and guidelines about the importance of oral health care for cardiovascular patients are still lacking. Having good oral health has potential impacts in reducing the risk of CVD. Future research is warranted with potential intervention approaches to improve oral health conditions among cardiovascular patients, thus reducing the risk of CVD.

Introduction: Oral health literacy is an essential element of an individual to make better oral health decision. Low oral health literacy (OHL) is associated with poor oral health decision and outcome. This study aimed to determine factors associated with oral health literacy among undergraduate students in one of the public universities of Malaysia. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was undertaken among the undergraduate students of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Sample selection was done randomly. A validated oral health literacy index of Malay version was used throughout the study. Ethical approval was obtained from the University Research Ethics Committee and respondents had given their consent prior to the data collection. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software version 24.0 and the significant level was set at p< 0.05. Results: The mean oral health literacy of the university undergraduate students was 77.7 (95% CI= 76.75, 78.71). Multiple linear regression indicated that female has higher OHL (?= 4.19; 95% CI= 1.99, 6.39; p< 0.001), social science stream has lower OHL (?= -9.14; 95% CI= -11.20, -7.07; p< 0.001) and higher education level of father had higher OHL (?= 1.97; 95% CI= 0.10, 3.83; p= 0.039) than their counterparts. Conclusion: Oral health literacy is higher among the science streams students compared to the social sciences streams. This suggests that science education might play a significant role in health literacy and improving health outcomes. � 2020 � 2020

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a public health concern worldwide. This study aimed to assess the preventive behaviors, barriers, and drivers, including the knowledge and self-efficacy of COVID-19 in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak by using a self-administered questionnaire. The instrument used was adopted from the World Health Organization resources. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the categorical data. Chi-square and independent t-test were performed to evaluate the associations between the variables and preventive behaviors. Results: A total of 465 (97.3%) respondents were recorded. The mean age was 34.3 ± 11.8 years old. A high percentage of the respondents (99.4%) were aware of the COVID-19 outbreak, and their knowledge mean score was 18.74 (Standard Deviation [SD]: 2.51). The mean scores of self-efficacy, barriers, and drivers were 11.07 (SD: 1.72), 5.20 (SD: 2.81), and 39.71 (SD: 5.17), respectively. Barriers (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.10; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.01, 1.21; p < 0.05) and drivers (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.17; p < 0.001) were found to be predictors for social distancing practices. Conclusions: Knowledge and self-efficacy were found to be at good levels, whereas self-efficacy, barriers, and drivers were revealed to be the predictive factors in determining the preventive behaviors. Adherence to preventive measures was largely affected by the behavioral drivers.