Oral health diseases are common in all regions of the world and their impact on anatomical and social functioning is widely acknowledged. Their distributions are unequal between and within countries, with the greatest burden falling on disadvantaged and socially marginalized populations. The risk factors and social determinants for oral diseases have been comprehensively documented, and the evidence base for their prevention is growing. However, decisions on health care are still often made without a solid grounding in research evidence. Translation of research into policy and practice should be a priority for all. Both community and individual interventions need tailoring to achieve a more equal and person-centered preventive focus and reduce any social gradient in health. The major challenges of the future will be to translate knowledge and experiences in oral disease prevention and health promotion into action programmes. The international oral health research community needs to engage further in research capacity building and in strengthening the work so that research is recognized as the foundation of oral health policy at global level.

A validated screening tool for patient triage based on the pain symptoms, could potentially optimize the resources and expertise available in dental pain management. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Modified Dental Pain Questionnaire (M-DePaQ) for use in categorizing patients with pain into three groups of common dental conditions. Forward Malay and Chinese translation was performed, followed by backward English translation. The translation was reviewed by an expert panel and pre-tested on patients who are native speakers. Consecutive patients aged 18 years and older experiencing pain and attending the primary dental care clinic completed the questionnaires. Four calibrated dentists made clinical diagnoses independent of the questionnaire responses. For data analysis, the cases were split randomly into Random Sample 1 (RS1) and Random Sample 2 (RS2). Discriminant analysis was performed on RS1 to develop a model for classifying dental pain cases into three groups. The model was applied to cases in RS2, and a crossvalidated accuracy rate was obtained. Criterion validity was assessed using measures such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and kappa. Of the 234 questionnaires distributed, 216 (92.3%) were returned. Classification rates were recorded at 73.8% for RS1, 75.0% for RS2, and 71.1% for all cases. The sensitivity values were 0.72, 0.39, and 0.43 for Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The corresponding specificity values were 0.42, 0.87, and 0.94. The discriminant validity of the adapted questionnaire was satisfactory, but the criterion validity could not be established because of biases incorporated in the study.

Introduction: The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) has been used to measure family functioning in several cultures. The FAD’s 12-item General Functioning Subscale (GF12) provides a general assessment of family functioning. This study aims to assess the cross-cultural adaptation of the FADGF12 scale in the Malaysian population. Methods: The translation and adaptation procedure of the Malay GF12 was based on the dual-panel methodology. This involved a bilingual panel (providing the initial translation into the Malay language) followed by a lay panel (where items are assessed for comprehension and acceptability). A mixed-methods approach with exploratory sequential study design was employed. This study used a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative survey of the Malay version of GF12 and a qualitative focus group analysis of dual-panel members. Results: Two hundred and fifty-one parents who have children attending Tadikas (pre-school) responded to the Malay GF12. In the reliability analysis, the internal consistency value was good; in the test-retest analysis, the intra-class correlation values were more than 0.7. In the exploratory factor analysis, two factors were extracted. In the confirmatory factor analysis, a single factor 12-item model did not fit well. Alternatively, a 2-factor-6-item model showed sufficient fit. The two constructs are comprised of Positive and Negative Items. Conclusion The Malay version of GF12 has adequate psychometric properties to measure family functioning in the Malay speaking population.
Factor Analysis, Statistical