I am super desserts backwards.
And I'm having my holiday.
I think I do not have a sweet tooth.
Low desserts threshold level.
Off to Singapore!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Oh no!
I was happy till I received this:
"Please be informed that you have Failed the In-Course Assessment for Medical Sciences Semester 3."
: (
"Please be informed that you have Failed the In-Course Assessment for Medical Sciences Semester 3."
: (
Monday, June 29, 2009
I just got rejected!
5.25 p.m.
The line was not THAT long. (Ning: Yes it was). Fine. It was a little long. But at least it was moving.
I whipped out the newspaper cutting of the free redemption tickets of ICE AGE 3 and was thinking of who to invite since the show was at 9.30p.m (pretty late for a school night) and hence, my sister won't be able to watch it with me.
Oh yes!
I am next in line to get the tickets.
Ning: OOOOOOOOOOOH NOOO!
I was puzzled. Next in line! Then, I looked at the table. The last, LAST LAST LAST LASSSSST 2 tickets were given to the lady in front of us.
I laughed.
Then, I was dissapointed.
Fine. To cheer me up, I Went to IKEA for an ice-cream.
Just as I approached the counter, I saw a sign, It says:
"ICE-CREAM SOLD OUT"
Dotdotdotdot
The line was not THAT long. (Ning: Yes it was). Fine. It was a little long. But at least it was moving.
I whipped out the newspaper cutting of the free redemption tickets of ICE AGE 3 and was thinking of who to invite since the show was at 9.30p.m (pretty late for a school night) and hence, my sister won't be able to watch it with me.
Oh yes!
I am next in line to get the tickets.
Ning: OOOOOOOOOOOH NOOO!
I was puzzled. Next in line! Then, I looked at the table. The last, LAST LAST LAST LASSSSST 2 tickets were given to the lady in front of us.
I laughed.
Then, I was dissapointed.
Fine. To cheer me up, I Went to IKEA for an ice-cream.
Just as I approached the counter, I saw a sign, It says:
"ICE-CREAM SOLD OUT"
Dotdotdotdot
5 Things You Ought to Know About Permanent Dentures
This is my article for a dental website for layman people. I hope it would be selected! If not, oh well... at least I have Panacea Publisher to publish it.
1. Permanent dentures are not only for elderly people
Permanent dentures replace natural teeth lost due to injury or poor oral conditions. It restores a person’s aesthetics, chewing and speaking functions. It also maintains the health of oral tissues and other remaining teeth. Therefore, permanent dentures are not restricted for elderly people only. However, younger patients prefer dental implants because it can stop the continual bone loss and shrinkage of jawbone. Also, dental implants are very much like natural teeth and one can be sure that your dental implants would not move or loosen.
2. Getting permanent dentures is affordable and easy
Permanent dentures cost much cheaper than dental implants and may only take a few dental visits. On your first dental visit, your dentist would assess the health of your oral tissues. If it is satisfactory, the dentist would continue by taking impressions of your mouth with a dough-like material which would set over time to a rubbery consistency. Your dentist will register your jaw positions by asking you to bite on a wax mould on your next visit. Also, tooth colour and size will be selected during your second dental visit. The next dental visit is important and it is recommended to bring along a relative or a friend as the “try-in” stage is a stage where you are asked to try a waxed model of your dentures and major adjustments can only be made at this stage like positioning of teeth. The fourth dental visit is to fit your new dentures in your mouth. A dental visit after a few days of wearing your dentures may be needed to relieve pressure points that may cause sore spots.
3. You need to get used to your permanent dentures
Though dentures are replacements for missing teeth and may look so natural that others cannot differentiate the difference, you can. This is because they do not exactly feel the same like your natural teeth and thus, you may need time to get used to it (about 2-6 weeks). Even if you have been wearing dentures for some time, you would still need to get used to the feeling of new dentures alike getting a new pair of shoes. You may experience a bulky or loose feeling, excessive saliva flow, lost of eating sensations, difficulty pronouncing some words and soreness but with practice and time, you will get accustomed to your dentures.
4. Permanent dentures do not last a life time!
You should have your dentures checked yearly especially when your dentures click, whistle, slip and your dentures cause you to have on-going pain, sore spots and chewing problems. Though your new dentures are made to fit firmly in your jaw, generally, people lose 1/3mm of bone height per year. Thus, dentists recommend you to refit your dentures or to make a new set of dentures every 5 to 7 years. Do not try to adjust or repair your dentures on your own as you might cause more damage to it.
5. Permanent dentures are not meant to be in your mouth 24-7
You need to remove your dentures daily (at least 6 hours) to allow your oral tissues to rest and for saliva to cleanse your oral cavity unlike dental implants. Before soaking your dentures in water (avoid using hot water), clean your dentures with a soft bristled brush to avoid scratching your dentures and use a cleaning paste. Do it over a folded towel or a basin full of water to avoid breakage of dentures if you accidentally drop them. After gently scrubbing all surfaces of your dentures, rinse it thoroughly. Soaking your dentures prevents it from drying out. Remember to change the water daily and to clean the container.
1. Permanent dentures are not only for elderly people
Permanent dentures replace natural teeth lost due to injury or poor oral conditions. It restores a person’s aesthetics, chewing and speaking functions. It also maintains the health of oral tissues and other remaining teeth. Therefore, permanent dentures are not restricted for elderly people only. However, younger patients prefer dental implants because it can stop the continual bone loss and shrinkage of jawbone. Also, dental implants are very much like natural teeth and one can be sure that your dental implants would not move or loosen.
2. Getting permanent dentures is affordable and easy
Permanent dentures cost much cheaper than dental implants and may only take a few dental visits. On your first dental visit, your dentist would assess the health of your oral tissues. If it is satisfactory, the dentist would continue by taking impressions of your mouth with a dough-like material which would set over time to a rubbery consistency. Your dentist will register your jaw positions by asking you to bite on a wax mould on your next visit. Also, tooth colour and size will be selected during your second dental visit. The next dental visit is important and it is recommended to bring along a relative or a friend as the “try-in” stage is a stage where you are asked to try a waxed model of your dentures and major adjustments can only be made at this stage like positioning of teeth. The fourth dental visit is to fit your new dentures in your mouth. A dental visit after a few days of wearing your dentures may be needed to relieve pressure points that may cause sore spots.
3. You need to get used to your permanent dentures
Though dentures are replacements for missing teeth and may look so natural that others cannot differentiate the difference, you can. This is because they do not exactly feel the same like your natural teeth and thus, you may need time to get used to it (about 2-6 weeks). Even if you have been wearing dentures for some time, you would still need to get used to the feeling of new dentures alike getting a new pair of shoes. You may experience a bulky or loose feeling, excessive saliva flow, lost of eating sensations, difficulty pronouncing some words and soreness but with practice and time, you will get accustomed to your dentures.
4. Permanent dentures do not last a life time!
You should have your dentures checked yearly especially when your dentures click, whistle, slip and your dentures cause you to have on-going pain, sore spots and chewing problems. Though your new dentures are made to fit firmly in your jaw, generally, people lose 1/3mm of bone height per year. Thus, dentists recommend you to refit your dentures or to make a new set of dentures every 5 to 7 years. Do not try to adjust or repair your dentures on your own as you might cause more damage to it.
5. Permanent dentures are not meant to be in your mouth 24-7
You need to remove your dentures daily (at least 6 hours) to allow your oral tissues to rest and for saliva to cleanse your oral cavity unlike dental implants. Before soaking your dentures in water (avoid using hot water), clean your dentures with a soft bristled brush to avoid scratching your dentures and use a cleaning paste. Do it over a folded towel or a basin full of water to avoid breakage of dentures if you accidentally drop them. After gently scrubbing all surfaces of your dentures, rinse it thoroughly. Soaking your dentures prevents it from drying out. Remember to change the water daily and to clean the container.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Singapore.. Singapore...
I will be staying at a church member's home, 3 minutes walk from the Sunset International Bible Institute where I will be taking bible courses every day. I requested for house rules and was pretty amused by it.
As requested, House Rules for Seah family:
1. Wake up by 5am each morning.
2. Be in bed by 8pm each day.
3. Toilet use cannot exceed twice per day.
4. Cannot bring home any new-found boyfriend.
5. Chatting is not allowed at any time at home.
All house rules except number 3 and MAYBEEEE.. Number 4?? (Just kidding, Chee Hoe) is definitely no problem for me for those who know me well. Hahha.
Looking forward to my stay but I will certainly miss MY ROOM!
As requested, House Rules for Seah family:
1. Wake up by 5am each morning.
2. Be in bed by 8pm each day.
3. Toilet use cannot exceed twice per day.
4. Cannot bring home any new-found boyfriend.
5. Chatting is not allowed at any time at home.
All house rules except number 3 and MAYBEEEE.. Number 4?? (Just kidding, Chee Hoe) is definitely no problem for me for those who know me well. Hahha.
Looking forward to my stay but I will certainly miss MY ROOM!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Journal of Jun Ai-Dentalogy, Volume 1, Pg1-5
I am so blur! I was selected for poster presentation not oral presentation. Hence, I do not need to write a full manuscript!! But they only told me that after I wrote my manuscript. Oh well.. It was a good experience nevertheless.
A Preliminary Survey Of Oral Health Awareness Amongst Students And Staff Of International Medical University
J.A. Chong School of Dentistry, International Medical University (IMU)
ABSTRACT
The objectives were to assess the level of oral health awareness and to formulate strategies to improve the oral health awareness amongst students and staff of IMU. Methods: An Oral Health Awareness Campaign was held on the 8th and 9th of April 2009 in IMU. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the level of oral health awareness amongst the participants of this campaign. The participants comprised of students and staff of IMU. SPSS version 12.0. was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 276 respondents participated in this survey which included 186 medical students (67.4%), 30 dental students (10.9%), no? IMU staff (10.5%) and the rest were pharmacy, nursing and other health science students. A total of 65.2% of the respondents visited dentists at least once in 24 months. The most common causes quoted for infrequent visit to dentist included busy (20.3%), no pain (15.2%) and never thought about visiting the dentist (14.5%). Majority of the respondents received scaling and polishing during dental visits (43.8%) but 4.8% of the respondents had no treatment done during their visit. 88.8% of respondents brushed their teeth at least twice a day while 11.6% of them never flossed. However, 40% of dental students who responded flossed their teeth while only 19.9% of medical students flossed. Conclusion: Within the limitation of the present study, it can be concluded that in general, students and staff of IMU have fairly good oral health awareness. Flossing habits should be encouraged as it was not widely practised amongst the students and staff.
Key words
Oral health awareness, Dental visits, Oral hygiene habits
______________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Oral health is essential for a high quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, oral health is defined as a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral sores, birth defects, periodontal disease, dental caries and tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that affect the oral cavity. Therefore, it is important that the community possesses good oral health awareness.
Ever since 1977, school children up till 17 years old are under the incremental dental care scheme where they receive annual dental check-ups and dental treatments accordingly1. After that, it is of the patient’s own initiative to visit a dentist for a dental examination. In year 2006, dental health attendances at the dental clinics were 8,932,341 out of a population of 26,640,200 people2.
Traditionally, it has been advocated for the public to have a dental visit every 6 months. As dental caries takes approximately two years to progress through enamel in permanent dentition, people who has a dental check up at intervals longer than 6 months are not at a disadvantage3. In fact, when compared to those who visited a dentist at intervals of 6 months, they did not have more severe dental caries or periodontal disease3. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that for patients aged 18 years and above, the longest interval between oral health reviews should be 24 months. Interval lengths are determined based on individual needs through assessment of disease levels and risk from dental disease4.
There are many reasons that may hinder an individual from visiting a dentist. Fear, cost, lack of perceived need, busy and inaccessibility to dental services are some of the reasons. A survey conducted in England and Wales in 1998 showed that those who attended only when they had some trouble with their teeth had poorer oral health, being twice more likely to have some active decay as compared to those who went for regular dental examinations5.
Besides regular dental check ups, an individual may seek various other dental services such as scaling and polishing, dental extractions, root canal treatment, braces or even making a pair of dentures.
Oral hygiene practices such as tooth brushing and flossing is important in maintaining oral health. Toothbrushing allows application of anti-caries agents such as fluoride from the fluoridated toothpaste used6. Ensuring thoroughness of tooth brushing is more important in plaque control as compared to frequency of tooth brushing. It has been proven that tooth brushing once per day is adequate to maintain oral health and to prevent dental diseases6.
The American Dental Association recommends that flossing should be done at least once a day to clean the interproximal areas and the area below the gum lines for good oral health. It is interesting to note that females links flossing with cleanliness behaviors while males relate use of floss with health-related behaviors7.
Interventions to change people’s habits to a better one can be
successful by disrupting environmental factors that automatically prompt habit execution 8.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A questionnaire survey was conducted during the Oral Health Awareness Campaign that was held on the 8th and 9th of April 2009 in IMU. The survey was written in the English language as IMU is an English speaking campus. A total of 276 people participated in this survey which included 186 medical students (67.4%), 30 dental students (10.9%), 29 IMU staff (10.5%), pharmacy students (8.0%) and the rest were nursing students and others. SPSS version 12.0. was used tocalculate frequency.
RESULTS
65.2% of the respondents visited a dentist at least once in two years. Meanwhile, 4.3% of respondents had never visited the dentist before. Table 1 shows the interval between the last visit to the dentist and the day of filling the questionnaire.
Table 1: Last visit to the dentist
Only 10.6% of respondents did not visit a dentist regularly due to fear. The main reason cited for irregular visits was that they were busy (20.3%). Lack of perceived need to visit the dentist due to no pain, not important and never thought of visiting the dentist contributed 35.5%. Only 4% of respondents had accessibility problems while 7.6% did not visit the dentist due to cost of dental services. Other reasons for irregular visits were: teeth were always clean and being lazy. Table 2 shows the reasons behind irregular dental visits.
Table 2: Reasons for irregular dental visit
Dental services that was most sought for was scaling and polishing which attributed to 43.8%. 8.9% of respondents had undergone orthodontic treatment meanwhile 4.8% of respondents had no treatment done during their visits to the dentists. Only 0.5% of respondents had crowns/bridges and dentures. Table 3 shows the dental procedures that the respondents underwent during their visit to the dentist.
Table 3: Dental services sought
Generally, the respondents brushed their teeth twice daily which contributed 67.8% and about 21.0% of respondents brushed their teeth more than twice daily. Only 4.0% of the respondents brushed their teeth once daily. One medical student brushed his/her teeth once every few days. Table 4 shows the frequency of tooth brushing.
Just 28.0% of respondents flossed while 11.6% had never flossed before. 53.3% of respondents did not floss the day before. 59.7% of medical students, 46.7% of dental students,40.9% of pharmacy students, all psychology students, 50% of nursing students, 30.8% of non-dental staff, 18.8% of dental staff and 33.3% of outsiders chose that option. Table 5 shows the flossing habits of the respondents.
DISCUSSION
IMU students and staff (65.2%) considered oral health important that they made appointments with their dentists at least once within two years. For those who had never visited a dentist in their life (4.3%) might be due to the various reasons cited for irregular visits such as the perception that they did not need to. Though low levels of supragingival calculus (calcified plaque) which can only be removed through professional cleaning is not detrimental to oral health but subgingival calculus had been associated with periodontal disease due to retention of dental plaque9.
Inaccessibility to dental services (7.6%) will not be a hindrance to the students and staff at IMU once the Oral Health Centre in IMU is ready to provide dental service. In addition, for the busy people (20.3%), having a dental clinic in IMU would translate to less time needed for a dental visit as easy access would cut down traveling time..
Currently the trend of dental practice is minimally invasive dentistry, a philosophy to preserve healthy tooth structure10. Therefore, 4.8% of respondents did not have any operative treatment done on them. The dental services required reflected the oral health conditions of the respondents. The low percentage of extractions (7.1%) showed that the respondents had low susceptibility to dental diseases or/and had taken measures in halting the progress of dental disease through preventive actions.
Thorough tooth brushing once daily is sufficient to prevent oral diseases, but tooth brushing is generally recommended twice daily to improve plaque control6. There is no clear evidence at the moment on the best time for tooth brushing (whether before or after meals). Dental screening should be carried out on respondents in relation to their tooth brushing habit to evaluate the effectiveness of their tooth brushing method.
A considerable percentage of respondents (11.6%) had never flossed before. Flossing is important in reducing gingivitis and interproximal plaque11. Again, thoroughness of flossing is more important than frequency of flossing although the American Dental Association recommends one to floss once daily for two to three minutes before bedtime.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the oral health awareness of the students and staff at IMU was generally adequate. Nevertheless, more efforts should be taken to continually educate the community of the importance and ways of maintaining good oral health especially the flossing technique. Though this was just a preliminary study as the sample size was small, about 10% of the actual population at IMU, it was still an essential survey because the community in IMU will be the future target patients of the Oral Health Centre in IMU. Hence, understanding of the oral hygiene habits and accessing the oral health awareness level of the students and staff at IMU was vital in anticipation of providing the best dental care for them. Measures should be taken to increase dental visitations accordingly, decrease the fear of seeing a dentist and to give proper oral hygiene education to the community in IMU. In essence, the oral health status of the students and staff in IMU was positive and had great potential to be well maintained in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Associate Prof. Seow Liang Lin for her guidance, Dr Hanan Omar for looking through the survey questions and Prof Toh Chooi Gait for her encouragement. Also, sincere appreciation to the 276 respondents and students who helped the respondents during the filling of the questionnaires.
REFERENCES
1. MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA (2008) History of Dentistry In Malaysia [Online] http://ohd.moh.gov.my/modules/xt_conteudo/index.php?id=99 [Accessed 14 June 2009]
2. MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA (2006) Health Facts 2006 (Prelim) [Online] http://pnd.moh.gov.my/uploads/health_facts_2006.pdf [Accessed 15 June 2009]
3. Sheiham A, Is there a scientific basis for six-monthly dental examinations? Lancet. 1977 Aug 27;2(8035):442-4
4. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE (2004) Dental Recall [Online] http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG019quickrefguide.pdf [Accessed 14 June 2009]
5. N M Nuttall, G Bradnock, D White, J Morris & J Nunn, Adult dental health survey: Dental attendance in 1998 and implications for the future. British Dental Journal 190, 177 - 182 (2001)
6. Attin T, Hornecker E. Tooth brushing and oral health: how frequently and when should tooth brushing be performed? Oral Health Prev Dent. 2005;3(3):135-40.
7. I. D. M. Macgregor, J. W. Balding D. Regis Flossing behaviour in English adolescents. Volume 25 Issue 4, Pages 291 – 296
8. Bas Verplanken, Wendy Wood Interventions to Break and Create Consumer Habits. Volume: 25 Issue: 1, Page(s): 90-103
9. Donald J. White, Dental calculus: recent insights into occurrence, formation, prevention, removal and oral health effects of supragingival and subgingival deposits
10. Joel M. White, D.D.S., M.S. and W. Stephan Eakle, D.D.S, Rationale and Treatment Approach Minimally Invasive Dentistry Am Dent Assoc, Vol 131, No suppl_1, 13S-19S
11. Carol A. Jahn (2001) Making Patient-Centered Self-Care Recommendations: Interproximal cleaning [Online] http://www.mmcpub.com/pdf/2001jph/200106jph_pdf/01jphv10n6p45.pdf [Accessed 15 June 2009]
A Preliminary Survey Of Oral Health Awareness Amongst Students And Staff Of International Medical University
J.A. Chong School of Dentistry, International Medical University (IMU)
ABSTRACT
The objectives were to assess the level of oral health awareness and to formulate strategies to improve the oral health awareness amongst students and staff of IMU. Methods: An Oral Health Awareness Campaign was held on the 8th and 9th of April 2009 in IMU. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the level of oral health awareness amongst the participants of this campaign. The participants comprised of students and staff of IMU. SPSS version 12.0. was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 276 respondents participated in this survey which included 186 medical students (67.4%), 30 dental students (10.9%), no? IMU staff (10.5%) and the rest were pharmacy, nursing and other health science students. A total of 65.2% of the respondents visited dentists at least once in 24 months. The most common causes quoted for infrequent visit to dentist included busy (20.3%), no pain (15.2%) and never thought about visiting the dentist (14.5%). Majority of the respondents received scaling and polishing during dental visits (43.8%) but 4.8% of the respondents had no treatment done during their visit. 88.8% of respondents brushed their teeth at least twice a day while 11.6% of them never flossed. However, 40% of dental students who responded flossed their teeth while only 19.9% of medical students flossed. Conclusion: Within the limitation of the present study, it can be concluded that in general, students and staff of IMU have fairly good oral health awareness. Flossing habits should be encouraged as it was not widely practised amongst the students and staff.
Key words
Oral health awareness, Dental visits, Oral hygiene habits
______________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Oral health is essential for a high quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, oral health is defined as a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral sores, birth defects, periodontal disease, dental caries and tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that affect the oral cavity. Therefore, it is important that the community possesses good oral health awareness.
Ever since 1977, school children up till 17 years old are under the incremental dental care scheme where they receive annual dental check-ups and dental treatments accordingly1. After that, it is of the patient’s own initiative to visit a dentist for a dental examination. In year 2006, dental health attendances at the dental clinics were 8,932,341 out of a population of 26,640,200 people2.
Traditionally, it has been advocated for the public to have a dental visit every 6 months. As dental caries takes approximately two years to progress through enamel in permanent dentition, people who has a dental check up at intervals longer than 6 months are not at a disadvantage3. In fact, when compared to those who visited a dentist at intervals of 6 months, they did not have more severe dental caries or periodontal disease3. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that for patients aged 18 years and above, the longest interval between oral health reviews should be 24 months. Interval lengths are determined based on individual needs through assessment of disease levels and risk from dental disease4.
There are many reasons that may hinder an individual from visiting a dentist. Fear, cost, lack of perceived need, busy and inaccessibility to dental services are some of the reasons. A survey conducted in England and Wales in 1998 showed that those who attended only when they had some trouble with their teeth had poorer oral health, being twice more likely to have some active decay as compared to those who went for regular dental examinations5.
Besides regular dental check ups, an individual may seek various other dental services such as scaling and polishing, dental extractions, root canal treatment, braces or even making a pair of dentures.
Oral hygiene practices such as tooth brushing and flossing is important in maintaining oral health. Toothbrushing allows application of anti-caries agents such as fluoride from the fluoridated toothpaste used6. Ensuring thoroughness of tooth brushing is more important in plaque control as compared to frequency of tooth brushing. It has been proven that tooth brushing once per day is adequate to maintain oral health and to prevent dental diseases6.
The American Dental Association recommends that flossing should be done at least once a day to clean the interproximal areas and the area below the gum lines for good oral health. It is interesting to note that females links flossing with cleanliness behaviors while males relate use of floss with health-related behaviors7.
Interventions to change people’s habits to a better one can be
successful by disrupting environmental factors that automatically prompt habit execution 8.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A questionnaire survey was conducted during the Oral Health Awareness Campaign that was held on the 8th and 9th of April 2009 in IMU. The survey was written in the English language as IMU is an English speaking campus. A total of 276 people participated in this survey which included 186 medical students (67.4%), 30 dental students (10.9%), 29 IMU staff (10.5%), pharmacy students (8.0%) and the rest were nursing students and others. SPSS version 12.0. was used tocalculate frequency.
RESULTS
65.2% of the respondents visited a dentist at least once in two years. Meanwhile, 4.3% of respondents had never visited the dentist before. Table 1 shows the interval between the last visit to the dentist and the day of filling the questionnaire.
Table 1: Last visit to the dentist
Only 10.6% of respondents did not visit a dentist regularly due to fear. The main reason cited for irregular visits was that they were busy (20.3%). Lack of perceived need to visit the dentist due to no pain, not important and never thought of visiting the dentist contributed 35.5%. Only 4% of respondents had accessibility problems while 7.6% did not visit the dentist due to cost of dental services. Other reasons for irregular visits were: teeth were always clean and being lazy. Table 2 shows the reasons behind irregular dental visits.
Table 2: Reasons for irregular dental visit
Dental services that was most sought for was scaling and polishing which attributed to 43.8%. 8.9% of respondents had undergone orthodontic treatment meanwhile 4.8% of respondents had no treatment done during their visits to the dentists. Only 0.5% of respondents had crowns/bridges and dentures. Table 3 shows the dental procedures that the respondents underwent during their visit to the dentist.
Table 3: Dental services sought
Generally, the respondents brushed their teeth twice daily which contributed 67.8% and about 21.0% of respondents brushed their teeth more than twice daily. Only 4.0% of the respondents brushed their teeth once daily. One medical student brushed his/her teeth once every few days. Table 4 shows the frequency of tooth brushing.
Just 28.0% of respondents flossed while 11.6% had never flossed before. 53.3% of respondents did not floss the day before. 59.7% of medical students, 46.7% of dental students,40.9% of pharmacy students, all psychology students, 50% of nursing students, 30.8% of non-dental staff, 18.8% of dental staff and 33.3% of outsiders chose that option. Table 5 shows the flossing habits of the respondents.
DISCUSSION
IMU students and staff (65.2%) considered oral health important that they made appointments with their dentists at least once within two years. For those who had never visited a dentist in their life (4.3%) might be due to the various reasons cited for irregular visits such as the perception that they did not need to. Though low levels of supragingival calculus (calcified plaque) which can only be removed through professional cleaning is not detrimental to oral health but subgingival calculus had been associated with periodontal disease due to retention of dental plaque9.
Inaccessibility to dental services (7.6%) will not be a hindrance to the students and staff at IMU once the Oral Health Centre in IMU is ready to provide dental service. In addition, for the busy people (20.3%), having a dental clinic in IMU would translate to less time needed for a dental visit as easy access would cut down traveling time..
Currently the trend of dental practice is minimally invasive dentistry, a philosophy to preserve healthy tooth structure10. Therefore, 4.8% of respondents did not have any operative treatment done on them. The dental services required reflected the oral health conditions of the respondents. The low percentage of extractions (7.1%) showed that the respondents had low susceptibility to dental diseases or/and had taken measures in halting the progress of dental disease through preventive actions.
Thorough tooth brushing once daily is sufficient to prevent oral diseases, but tooth brushing is generally recommended twice daily to improve plaque control6. There is no clear evidence at the moment on the best time for tooth brushing (whether before or after meals). Dental screening should be carried out on respondents in relation to their tooth brushing habit to evaluate the effectiveness of their tooth brushing method.
A considerable percentage of respondents (11.6%) had never flossed before. Flossing is important in reducing gingivitis and interproximal plaque11. Again, thoroughness of flossing is more important than frequency of flossing although the American Dental Association recommends one to floss once daily for two to three minutes before bedtime.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the oral health awareness of the students and staff at IMU was generally adequate. Nevertheless, more efforts should be taken to continually educate the community of the importance and ways of maintaining good oral health especially the flossing technique. Though this was just a preliminary study as the sample size was small, about 10% of the actual population at IMU, it was still an essential survey because the community in IMU will be the future target patients of the Oral Health Centre in IMU. Hence, understanding of the oral hygiene habits and accessing the oral health awareness level of the students and staff at IMU was vital in anticipation of providing the best dental care for them. Measures should be taken to increase dental visitations accordingly, decrease the fear of seeing a dentist and to give proper oral hygiene education to the community in IMU. In essence, the oral health status of the students and staff in IMU was positive and had great potential to be well maintained in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Associate Prof. Seow Liang Lin for her guidance, Dr Hanan Omar for looking through the survey questions and Prof Toh Chooi Gait for her encouragement. Also, sincere appreciation to the 276 respondents and students who helped the respondents during the filling of the questionnaires.
REFERENCES
1. MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA (2008) History of Dentistry In Malaysia [Online] http://ohd.moh.gov.my/modules/xt_conteudo/index.php?id=99 [Accessed 14 June 2009]
2. MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA (2006) Health Facts 2006 (Prelim) [Online] http://pnd.moh.gov.my/uploads/health_facts_2006.pdf [Accessed 15 June 2009]
3. Sheiham A, Is there a scientific basis for six-monthly dental examinations? Lancet. 1977 Aug 27;2(8035):442-4
4. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE (2004) Dental Recall [Online] http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG019quickrefguide.pdf [Accessed 14 June 2009]
5. N M Nuttall, G Bradnock, D White, J Morris & J Nunn, Adult dental health survey: Dental attendance in 1998 and implications for the future. British Dental Journal 190, 177 - 182 (2001)
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7. I. D. M. Macgregor, J. W. Balding D. Regis Flossing behaviour in English adolescents. Volume 25 Issue 4, Pages 291 – 296
8. Bas Verplanken, Wendy Wood Interventions to Break and Create Consumer Habits. Volume: 25 Issue: 1, Page(s): 90-103
9. Donald J. White, Dental calculus: recent insights into occurrence, formation, prevention, removal and oral health effects of supragingival and subgingival deposits
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Floss Hunt
I thought I packed my floss along with me for my trip up to Ipoh. But after ransacking my bag, no floss can be found sadly!
Hence, my bf and I went for a floss hunt. We dropped by petrol stations, 7-11, mini markets and a pharmacy. They sell toothbrushes, mouth wash, toothpaste but NO FLOSS!
I guess it is because Malaysians hardly ever floss and hence, floss is dubbed as the "Slow, unproffitable item".
I am going to digress...
I will be giving an oral presentation at the APDSA Scientific Research Competition! And will be attending APDSA!
Thank you Maxis!
Hence, my bf and I went for a floss hunt. We dropped by petrol stations, 7-11, mini markets and a pharmacy. They sell toothbrushes, mouth wash, toothpaste but NO FLOSS!
I guess it is because Malaysians hardly ever floss and hence, floss is dubbed as the "Slow, unproffitable item".
I am going to digress...
I will be giving an oral presentation at the APDSA Scientific Research Competition! And will be attending APDSA!
Thank you Maxis!
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