Knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health: findings from a sample of first-time mothers in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Women's important roles within families which include modelling appropriate oral health behaviours require them to have good knowledge and positive attitude in oral health. This study determined knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health among first-time mothers and factors associated with the attributes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 154 first-time mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy who attended two health clinics in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia for antenatal care participated in this cross-sectional study. A structured selfadministered questionnaire was used to measure the variables of interest. RESULTS: Most mothers could correctly identify the aetiological factors of dental caries and strategies for preventing the disease in children. However, a substantial portion could not identify certain cariogenic and noncariogenic foods or drinks. Most pregnant women have appropriate attitudes towards children's oral health although some showed unfavourable attitude about care of primary teeth. Women who were older and had attended a talk on children's oral health were more likely to have higher mean knowledge score than their respective counterparts, and higher mean knowledge score was associated with higher mean attitude score. CONCLUSION: Most first-time mothers in this study had correct knowledge and favourable attitude about children's oral health, although misunderstandings and misperceptions in several issues were also common. Significant association found between experience of attending oral health talk and oral health knowledge, and between oral health knowledge and attitude, substantiate the importance of an educational intervention program to optimise the mothers' roles in caries prevention in children.

Influence of oral health literacy on knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health among pregnant women in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Health literacy is an independent predictor of health outcomes, including health knowledge and behavior. This study determined the influence of oral health literacy on knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health among pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 130 pregnant women (65 nulliparous and 65 primiparous or multiparous) attending Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia for antenatal care who did not have any diagnosed cognitive disorders and could read and write in the Malay language participated in this crosssectional study. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to measure knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health, and the Malay version of the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI-M) was used to assess the oral health literacy of the participants. RESULTS: Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that older women and women with higher OHLI-M scores had higher mean knowledge scores than younger women (p=0.007) and women with lower OHLI-M scores (p=0.001), respectively. In addition, women with higher OHLI-M scores, women with higher mean knowledge scores, and women who had attended a talk about children's oral health were more likely to have higher mean attitude scores than women with lower OHLI-M scores (p=0.019), women with lower mean knowledge scores (p=0.006), and women who had never attended a talk about children's oral health (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Pregnant women's oral health literacy was positively associated with their oral health knowledge and attitude towards children's oral health. Strategies to improve the oral health literacy of pregnant women are indicated.

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.

Cervical cancer and pap smear screening: knowledge, attitude and practice among working women in northern state of Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer is among the most common cancers in women worldwide. The Pap smear test is the primary screening procedure used to detect abnormal cells that may develop into cancer. OBJECTIVES: This study analysed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of working women in Kedah state, Malaysia, about cervical cancer and Pap smear tests and the associations of knowledge, attitudes and practices with socio-demographic factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire study analysed knowledge, attitudes and practices among 210 female entrepreneurs who received funding from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in Kedah state. Women were included if they were married or previously married, aged 20-65 years and had not been diagnosed with cervical cancer. RESULTS: Most subjects could not recall common symptoms of cervical cancer, such as bleeding between periods, and did not know or were unsure of the suitable age for Pap smear tests and the interval between tests. Although most subjects agreed that Pap smear tests were necessary, some gave priority to other issues. About half (55.2%) had undergone Pap smear tests, but only 38.6% had been tested within the previous five years. Use of hormonal contraceptives, higher knowledge score, and higher attitude score were associated with Pap smear testing within the previous 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge regarding cervical cancer and Pap smear testing and attitudes toward testing were poor among most participants. These factors were significantly associated with lack of actual testing.

Elevated serum rheumatoid factor, anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and active rheumatoid arthritis disease are not associated with chronic periodontitis.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the joints with the involvement of other systems. Previous studies have demonstrated its association with chronic periodontitis (CP), a chronic inflammatory disease of tooth-supporting tissues. Positive rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) in RA patients have been found to be associated with CP. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of CP in RA patients, and to investigate the association of ACPA, RF status and RA disease activity with CP and non-CP RA patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study involving 98 RA patients was conducted at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia. Clinical oral examination was carried out to determine the CP status of RA patients. RF, ACPA and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured, and the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) was assessed. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (45.9%) were found to have CP (95% CI: 0.36-0.56). No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of positive RF (p=0.989) or ACPA (p=0.431) in CP and non-CP RA patients. There was also no significant association between active RA disease (DAS-28 score ≥3.2) and RF positivity in CP (p=0.927) and non-CP (p=0.431) RA patients as well as ACPA positivity in CP (p=0.780) and non-CP (p=0.611) RA patients. CONCLUSION: In our cohort of RA patients, we did not find significant associations between elevated RF, ACPA, or active RA disease with the presence of CP. There were also no significant associations between elevated RF or ACPA with active RA disease.

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.

Validity and reliability of the Malay version of WHOQOL-HIV BREF in patients with HIV infection.

This study determines the validity and reliability of the Malay version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) assessment instrument in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A cross-sectional study on 157 patients with HIV seen at the Infectious Disease Unit, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu, Kelantan was conducted. Factor analysis identified five major domains: physical needs, spirituality, social relationship, psychological, and environment. Significant correlation was found between each domain scores and the general health questions. The instrument was able to discriminate between asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV positive patients for all domain scores except for the spirituality domain. The internal consistency of the five domains ranged from 0.70 to 0.83. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.60 to 0.87 across all domains. In conclusion, the Malay version of WHOQOL-HIV BREF is a valid and reliable instrument in assessing quality of life in HIV positive patients.