Perceptions of Online Learning Implementation in Dental Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of Dental School Faculty Members in Southeast Asia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the perceptions of faculty members from dental schools in Southeast Asian countries regarding the implementation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A previously implemented questionnaire comprising 43 questions was utilized in this study. Lecturers from four universities in Southeast Asia were invited to participate in the study. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 through several types of comparative and correlation analyses. RESULTS: There were 183 lecturers who participated in the study. The overall responses suggest that the perceived effectiveness of online learning in dentistry was centered on a neutral value. The participants faced challenges when implementing online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the lack of interaction being the most challenging factor. They agreed that online learning had many advantages, specifically in time flexibility and communication. The participants had stronger perceptions relating the advantages and opportunities of online teaching, and recognized that the effectiveness of offline teaching alone was limited. CONCLUSION: The perceptions of Southeast Asian dental school faculty members were inclined toward a positive outlook on blended learning for implementation in dentistry, as a means of providing opportunities to use online learning beyond COVID-19 in the future.

Analysis of Oral Health Literacy in Caregivers of Special Needs Individuals in Special Schools and Social Institutions in Jakarta.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with special needs (IWSN) are susceptible to oral conditions such as caries and periodontal disease. In order to improve oral health of IWSN, it is important to improve the oral health literacy (OHL) of caregivers, as they play an important role in the daily hygiene and personal care of these people. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the OHL in caregivers of IWSN in special schools (informal caregivers) and social institutions for people with disabilities (professional caregivers) in Jakarta, Indonesia. METHODS: The study was conducted with a cross-sectional and descriptive analytic design with a cluster sampling method of 400 informal and professional caregivers. The study utilized the validated Health Literacy Dentistry-Indonesian Version (HeLD-ID) questionnaire to measure OHL. Quantitative data was analyzed using non-parametric Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney tests (significant level p < 0.05). RESULTS: The median total OHL score of respondents was 3.14 (0.24-4) for informal caregivers and 3.21 (0-4) for professional caregivers. The OHL score of the two populations showed significant differences in the domains of receptivity (p = 0.036), understanding (p = 0.030), and economic barriers (p = 0.022). Significant differences in OHL scores were also noted among caregivers according to their sociodemographic characteristics, such as level of education, and number of IWSN handled. CONCLUSION: Informal and professional caregivers in this study showed good level of OHL. To elucidate the relationship between caregiver's level of OHL with IWSN, further study is necessary.

Indonesian Dentists' Perception of the Use of Teledentistry.

INTRODUCTION: Teledentistry is the use of information and communication technology to provide dental services from distant locations. The use of teledentistry is highly beneficial in the COVID-19 pandemic era. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore Indonesian dentists' perceptions of the use of teledentistry in their daily practice and the benefits for patients. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study comprising an electronic survey of Indonesian dentists. We used a cross-cultural, adapted questionnaire that consisted of 26 items and 5-point Likert scale questions that evaluated dentist perception in the following 4 domains: usefulness of teledentistry for dental practice, usefulness of teledentistry to improve practices, usefulness of teledentistry for patients, and dentists who had concerns about the use of teledentistry. RESULTS: A total of 652 dentists from 34 provinces in Indonesia participated in this study. The majority of respondents agreed about the usefulness of teledentistry in dental practice, especially for saving time, compared to referral letters (87%). Most respondents recognised the utility of teledentistry for improving dental practice and its benefits for patients. Nevertheless, most of the dentists had concerns about teledentistry in terms of digital forgery concern (74.2%) and technical incompatibility (71.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Indonesian dentists reported their positive perception of the usefulness of teledentistry for improving dental practice and benefits for patients, although some concerns were still present. Further studies on the application of teledentistry in Indonesia are still needed.

Mothers Knowledge and Behaviour Towards Oral Health During Pregnancy

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and behaviour of mothers in maintaining their oral health during pregnancy. Material and Methods: This study included 167 women in five community primary health centres in Central Jakarta whose last child ranged between 0-59 months. The participants were asked to fill the questionnaire "Knowledge and Behaviour Towards Oral Health during Pregnancy" (KBOHP). This questionnaire assessed the knowledge and behaviour in maintaining oral health during pregnancy. Results: Almost 80% of participants reported that they had government dental health coverage. Only about 16% of participants reported that they visit dentist before pregnancy and only about 32% of the participants reported to have oral health problems during pregnancy. Although they have oral health problems, only 18% of them visited the dentists during pregnancy. Only 33% of the participants knew that the periodontal problems can affect pregnancy outcome, and 54.5% of participants had never heard of a possible connection between oral health and pregnancy. About 74% of participants reported that they never had specific oral health care instruction during pregnancy. Participants who received oral health instruction from their health providers also tend to have dental visit during pregnancy. Conclusion: Knowledge and behaviour towards oral health during pregnancy in this population was still low. A program that is developed to improve knowledge and behaviour in maintaining oral health during pregnancy is needed.

Oral Cancer Knowledge among a Sample of Elderly People in Depok City, West Java, Indonesia

Objective: To determine the level of knowledge concerning oral cancer among a sample of elderly people with various sociodemographic characters, behavior, and dental visits in Depok City, Indonesia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study of oral cancer awareness was conducted among 100 elderly people in Depok City using an intervieweradministered questionnaire. We collected information regarding sociodemographic data regarding age, gender, marital status, education, health insurance, risk factors and early signs of oral cancer, and questions related to lifestyle factors relevant to oral cancer, including smoking, drinking alcohol, tobacco chewing, betel quid chewing, and dental visits. Data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and presented through descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: 64% of respondents have poor knowledge of the oral cancer risk factors, while only 25% of respondents have sound knowledge of the early signs of oral cancer. There was a significant difference in the level of oral cancer knowledge according to gender (p=0.01), level of education (p=0.008), smoking behavior (p=0.03), and dental visits (p=0.01). Conclusion: The oral cancer knowledge among elderly people in Depok City is still lacking. Further, some sociodemographic factors influence the level of oral cancer knowledge.

Saliva-Based Screening of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Strains: Detection in Female Indonesian and Thai Dental Students.

BACKGROUND: Currently it is believed that human papillomaviruses (HPV) are associated with the development of some oral/oropharyngeal cancers. It has been suggested that these viruses influence carcinogenesis in both smokers and non-smokers. Data on the prevalence of HPV in healthy adults are thus needed to estimate the risk of oral/oropharyngeal cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of oral HPV in healthy female adults in Indonesia and Thailand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy female students from the Faculties of Dentistry of Universitas Indonesia and Chiang Mai University were asked to participate in this pilot study. DNA was extracted from saliva specimens and screened for HPV16 and HPV18 using PCR. RESULTS: The age, marital status and sexual experience of the subjects between the two countries were not significantly different. Eight (4%) and 4 (2%) samples were positive for HPV16 and HPV18, respectively. Fisher's Exact test found a significant difference between HPV16 positivity in subjects who were married and had sexual intercourse but not for HPV18. CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully detected presence of HPV16 and HPV18 DNA in a number of saliva samples from female dental school students. Marital status, experience of sexual intercourse and safe sexual practice are related to the possibility of finding HPV DNA finding in saliva. Dentists, physicians and other health care professionals may gain significant value from the findings of this study, which provide an understanding of the nature of HPV infection and its risk to patient health and disease.

Oral mucosal ulceration caused by the topical application of a concentrated propolis extract.

Propolis is a resinous mixture that is collected by honey bees from tree buds, sap flow, and other botanical sources. Propolis has been extensively used in medicine, dentistry, and cosmetics; however, unwanted effects have been reported. This paper reports a case of oral mucosal burn in a 50-year-old patient, who used an overnight application of concentrated propolis to overcome a throbbing pain in the right upper posterior mucosa. The patient was otherwise healthy and was not receiving any medication. She presented with painful shallow multiple irregular ulcers measuring 0.3-1 cm in diameter that were located on the right buccal mucosa and hard palate mucosa, in addition to the gingival mucosa surrounding tooth 17. Propolis-induced oral mucosal burn was diagnosed. The ulcer cleared after the prescription of tetracycline mouthwash, accompanied with Doloneurobion. The patient was further treated with carbamazepine to address the persistent throbbing pain in the affected area, which was suspected to be trigeminal neuralgia. This report provides another alert to clinicians about the potential adverse effects of propolis use for the treatment of oral diseases, despite its natural origin.