Introduction: Edentulism may compromise the quality of life (QoL) of a patient. Geriatric patients who are satisfied with their complete dentures are usually satisfied with their daily life. This research was conducted to assess quality of life using Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) focusing on functional limitation, oro-facial pain, psychological impact and behavioural impact among edentulous patient attending USIM Polyclinic. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two geriatric edentulous patient to be treated by third year students in polyclinic USIM were recruited. Patient completed the Malay version of GOHAI questionnaire. Result: The data showed there were 62.5% male and 37.5% female. The mean age was 63.88 ± 5.621 year. 87.5% of the samples are wearing complete denture and 56.3% of them have been wearing denture for the past five years. The lowest mean score was 1.66 ( ± 1.6) for trouble in biting and chewing. The highest mean for GOHAI was in medication used to relieve pain with the mean score of 4.56 ( ± 0.8). Conclusion: The QoL of geriatric patient was mostly affected by the oral function. However the least affected was seen in pain and discomfort. Despite wearing complete denture, denture replacement is essential to improve QoL.

Copy denture technique is a classic technique for construction of a new denture, based on the existing denture using a replica. This technique helps elderly population in terms of adaptation to a new denture. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and practice of copy denture technique among dentists and dental technologists in Malaysia. Two sets of a pre-tested questionnaire was distributed to participants who attended copy denture workshop. The participants were instructed to answer the questionnaires before and after the seminar. A total of 97 responses were collected and only 77 (79.4%) have given a valid feedbacks. The results showed that eventhough 54.5% (n=42) participants had more than 5 years of clinical experiences, 42.9% (n=33) claimed to have limited knowledge in this technique prior to the seminar and 55.9% (n=43) presented with positive attitude towards copy denture. Majority of the participants (74.1%) were uncertain and did not have the skills to perform the copy denture technique. However, following workshop, their attitude towards copy denture increased (+15.6%) and the mean score value was statistically significance (p < 0.005). In conclusion, awareness and practice on copy denture technique should be encouraged to ensure patient’s benefits when replacement denture are required.

Objective Tissue conditioners are composed of poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) powder and plasticizer/ethanol mix liquid. Butyl phthalyl butyl glycolate (BPBG) plasticizer is commonly used in tissue conditioners, but the main concern with phthalate plasticizer is its leachability and biocompatibility, especially the estrogenic activity and cytotoxicity of phthalate. Therefore, acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) plasticizer has been introduced and formulated as plasticizer in tissue conditioner; however its leachability characteristics are still unknown. Furthermore, the effect of foodsimulating liquids toward leachability of BPBG and ATBC plasticizers has not been documented. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of food-simulating liquids on the leachability of plasticizers and hardness of two experimental tissue conditioners containing BPBG and ATBC plasticizers. Materials and Methods Ten experimental materials were prepared using PEMA polymer powder with 95% plasticizer (BPBG and ATBC) and 5% ethanol by volume, using powder to liquid ratio of 1.67:1, and the thickness was controlled at 3 mm. Shore A hardness value was measured after immersion in distilled water, artificial saliva, 25% ethanol/water mix, 3% citric acid, and coconut oil at 37°C. Measurements were taken at 2 hours and 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 84 days. Six readings were taken for each sample and hardness change was calculated and statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Increase in hardness value was noted for both plasticizers over time with the highest increase was when immersed in coconut oil. Shore A hardness value was significantly higher in ATBC after 84 days of immersion in all food-simulating liquids. The increase in hardness is due to plasticizer/ethanol leaching; however, as ethanol content was the same (5%), the hardness change is attributed to the leaching of plasticizers. Conclusion Leaching of both plasticizers was highest in coconut oil indicating that tissue conditioners may have a shorter intraoral lifetime in patients eating high-fat diet.

Oral health is essential to general health. It influences the quality of life of an individual. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is the impact of oral disease or conditions in the oral cavity on functional, psychosocial and pain, including discomfort. The objective of this study was to investigate OHRQoL of villagers in a semi-urban district in Malaysia in relation to diabetes mellitus, hypertension and overweight or obesity using the validated Malay version of the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI-Malay). A cross-sectional study was conducted using a stratified two-stage sampling method.Participants were asked to rate their oral health status. They were then interviewed by using the validated GOHAI-Malay questionnaire. The data were tested for normality using Shapiro-Wilks test. Subsequently, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests were used to determine the level of significance set at p<0.05. A total of two hundred participants from four villages were interviewed. The age of the participants was between 18 to 89 years old with mean age of 55.3 (±16.5) years. A total of 56.5% of participants interviewed were females and 13.5% had tertiary education. The mean GOHAI score was 53.66 (±7.4) which ranged from 30 to 60. It was found that 47.5% of the participants showed good quality of life (QOL), 24.0% fair and 28.5% poor. The GOHAI score was statistically significant according to age groups (p<0.001), level of education (p<0.001) and hypertension (p=0.003). The OHRQoL was inversely related to age. Participants with higher educational level indicated better OHRQoL. Participants with hypertension as an underlying health condition appeared to have lower perception of OHRQoL. These findings provide the input in designing intervention activities involving medical and dental practitioners to improve OHRQoL among villagers with hypertension. Key words: GOHAI, quality of life, OHRQoL, hypertension, elders