Objective: To assess the relationships of socio-demography, self-reported oral health status, and behaviour with oral health literacy (OHL) among adults. Material and Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted during a mega carnival in Kuala Lumpur. Socio-demographic, oral health status, and oral health behaviour data were obtained using a questionnaire, and OHL was determined by a validated Malay version of the 14 items Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). A total of 165 data of participating adults were tested using Pearson's correlation, Independent t-test and One-way ANOVA with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of participants was 30.4 years (S.D. 9.7 years). Malay HeLD-14 scores were higher among those who were from better socioeconomic class (household income within the top 20% of the population) (p<0.005) those with good self-reported oral health status (good oral health status, no active caries) (p<0.005) and those with good oral health behaviours (brushed daily, flossed daily, does not vape) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Household income, self-reported oral health status, and behaviours were significantly associated with oral health literacy. Therefore, oral health literacy assessment is vital to help tailor appropriate oral health education and care.

As a signatory to the World Health Organisation 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Malaysia has policies in place and funded 300 public Quit clinics. Unfortunately, government dentists are not included to run tobacco dependence treatment. A cross-sectional exploratory survey was carried out to seek Malaysian dentists' opinion on their knowledge, perception and willingness to conduct tobacco dependence treatment. Participation was voluntary from those who attended a specially designed one-day, four-module workshop on tobacco cessation intervention. Data were collected using the Audience-Response-System equipment which tracked immediate responses covering four domains namely: smoking as a public health problem, smoking as an addiction, the role of dentists in the programme and confidence in conducting smoking cessation in the clinic. Sample comprised more female dentists (73.5%), mean age 33.6 (SD 8.99) years and with more than 3 years working experience. Findings indicated that the majority agreed Malaysia has a rising problem in the prevalence of smoking (71.6%) and predicted that it will affect mostly the young (81.9%). Only half of the dentists surveyed (58.9%) routinely recorded their patients' smoking habits. The majority (71.6%) believed that dentists are effective in helping their patient to stop smoking and 76.3% agreed that dentists should discuss the smoking habit with their patients; however, 60% agreed that doing so is too time consuming. In addition, only 24.7% knew of more ways to treat a smoking habit. The majority felt comfortable giving advice to patients about changing their habits (76.5%) or discussing treatment options (60.5%): 75% would opt for a combined programme of counselling and use of medication if they have to do, 15% would choose to go on counselling only, while 8% did not want to treat. In conclusion, the findings suggest that dentists have a strong potential to contribute significantly to providing smoking cessation treatment if adequately trained.

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BACKGROUND: There is an increasing concern about musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), resulting from occupational health hazards among dentists. Dentists who are susceptible to occupational health hazards could develop cumulative trauma disorders, lead to absenteeism from work, loss of productivity and performance or even long-term disability. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists, explore the risk factors and identify the ergonomics preventive measures for dental professionals. METHODS: Articles published between 2008–2020 were searched in scientific databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Systematic Review checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were found to be suitable in the final review. Relevant data was extracted and summarized from the included studies. The annual prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in any body site ranged between 68% and 100% . The most predominant regions for musculoskeletal disorders among dental professionals were identified to be the lower back (29% to 94.6% ), shoulder (25% to 92.7% ), and neck (26% to 92% ). The most frequently reported risk factors of MSDs were the individual characteristic female gender (57.1% ), followed by awkward working postures (50% ), long working experience (50% ) and being dental specialists (42.9% ). Several preventive measures were identified as the most effective ways in preventing MSDs, the use of magnification (40% ) and regular physical activity (40% ). CONCLUSIONS: This review reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among dentists. It critically updates and adds the latest evidence on occupational ergonomics among dentists.

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the 5A's smoking cessation intervention (5A's)