The significance of continuing professional development (CPD) among dental practitioners (DPs) is well-recognised by the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC). CPD has become mandatory to all DPs prior to renewal of annual practising certificate (APC) following the enforcement of Dental Act 2018. This study aimed to determine the personal experience of Malaysian DPs in CPD programmes and to identify the barriers to attend CPD activities. This was a cross-sectional study of which a paperbased, self‐administered questionnaire (pre-test, content validated) was administered to all participants (n = 229, response rate = 49.7%) who participated in CPD programmes organised by the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) from April 2017 until November 2017. Almost all respondents (92.1%) acknowledged the importance of undertaking CPD. Some of them (68.9%) agreed that the employer provides adequate support to carry out the CPD activities. Majority of the respondents (62.3%) participated in 1–4 hours of CPD on average per month and most of them (42.1%) attended 5–10 days CPD course in the year 2017. Barriers to CPD participation were current workload, lack of time and lack of financial support. Malaysian DPs are currently engaging in CPD programmes and considered the compulsory CPD to be beneficial to them as professionals even before the compulsory implementation in 2018. This study provides valuable information to assist Malaysian CPD providers in formulating appropriate approaches while planning the CPD courses and as well as to identify the potential barriers in attending the CPD programmes.

ABSTRACT Educational landscape has changed drastically over the past decades with the integration of technology to support the role of educators. The objectives of this study were to examine the use of social media application among dental students and to investigate significant demographic variables with regard to social media use for academic purposes. All dental students across all academic years were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire (content validated, pre-tested) survey conducted online via Google Forms. Overall response rate was 67.8%. Of the 244 respondents, 99.1% owned smartphones, with a majority of them were iPhone and Android users. Notably, 91.4% of the respondents had access to internet data via a third generation (3G) mobile carrier and WiFi connection. A majority of the respondents (97.1%) used social media to communicate or connect with friends whereas 5.7% of them used it for business purposes. There was no significant association between gender, year of study and type of internet access with the mean of social media usage for academic purposes (p > 0.05). Most of the respondents preferred YouTube (74.6%) and Google (73.7%) for seeking information in their study. In conclusion, we found that majority of respondents had acknowledged the importance of social media in education. Our findings suggest the potential value of integrating social media in teaching and learning activities to enhance students’ learning experience.
Education, Dental ; Education, Distance

Custom cast metal posts and cores are time-consuming to make, requiring several clinical and laboratory stages and the use of gold, cobalt-, or nickel-chromium. Aside from the numerous stages involved, a cast metal post and core has a significantly higher modulus of elasticity than the dentinal root structure and, as a result, is more likely to cause root fracture. Furthermore, the metal colour of the post and core, which always appears as a dark shadow beneath a ceramic crown, is an aesthetic concern. Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) of posts and cores is a potential fabrication option for overcoming the issues associated with cast metal posts and cores. Some of the time-consuming clinical and laboratory procedures can be eliminated by using a CAD/CAM machine, and tooth-colored materials can be milled to create custom posts and cores. The marginal and internal adaptation of the CAD/CAM produced posts and cores to the tooth structure, on the other hand, is highly dependent on the scanning accuracy and milling capability of the CAD/CAM machine. Because the majority of studies on dental CAD/ CAM have concentrated on the fabrication of fixed and removable prostheses, data on the marginal accuracy and internal adaptation of CAD/CAM produced posts and cores is limited. As a result, the aim of this review paper is to determine the current state of the market’s CAD/CAM machines in terms of their scanning and milling capability to produce custom posts and cores that match the marginal and fitting accuracy of cast metal posts and cores.

The objective of this study was to identify and characterise various resin-bonded bridge (RBB) articles published in dental journals using bibliometric analysis. The search was performed using the Scopus database to generate publications related to RBB. Data analysis and visualisation were done using Microsoft Excel, Biblioshiny software or VOSviewer. The trend of publication shows an annual growth rate of 7.19 percent within the years 1973–2022. Sixteen articles were cited more than 100 times, with seven highly cited articles focusing on the survival and/or complications of RBB. Matthias,Kern is the most prolific author in RBB research with Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry being the most influential journal. “survival”, “dental bonding” and “zirconia” were identified as core research areas for RBB for the past 10 years. Future research on the incorporation of new technology in prosthesis fabrication to assess the survival and longevity of RBB is expected to increase, with an emphasis on bonding to new materials. This paper presents an overview of scientific production, prominent researchers and countries, emerging keywords and core research areas in RBB research.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization issued provisional guidelines to address considerations for essential oral health services in the pandemic situation. Compliance with the guidelines is essential to curb the potential spread of infection within a dental practice. This study aimed to assess the perception of Malaysian dental practitioners towards exercising the provisional COVID-19 dental practice guideline during the early phase of the pandemic. A self-administered questionnaire of a structured type consisting of demographic information and dentist perceptions of the provisional guidelines of dental care during the COVID-19 outbreak was distributed online from May 2021 until August 2021 through various social networking platforms among dental practitioners working at different healthcare sectors in all states in Malaysia. A total of 468 dental practitioners responded to this study. More than threequarters of the respondents were working in public dental care facilities (76.3%, n=357). The majority of respondents adhered to the provisional guidelines issued during the pandemic outbreak and exhibited a change in standard clinical practice (p<0.001). Dental practitioners working in public sectors perceive that swab tests prior to dental appointments should be mandatory, the reopening of dental clinics increases the risk of spread and the provisional guidelines of COVID-19 in dental practice will be changed in the future compared to private dental practitioners (p<0.001). The majority of dental practitioners in Malaysia have complied with the provisional guidelines imposed by the health bodies. As the COVID-19 virus will persist and become endemic in our communities, it is important to balance the safety issue and patient oral health needs.

The objective of this study was to characterise articles published in removable partial denture (RPD) research from 1948 to 2022 to identify the most influential journals, publications, authors, and core research areas using bibliometric analysis. The Scopus database was used to retrieve publications with titles containing the truncated search term (“removable partial denture*” OR “removable prostho*”). Data analysis and visualisation were done using Microsoft Excel, Biblioshiny software and VOSviewer. A total of 2,484 articles were analyses from 1948 till 2022, representing an annual growth rate of 4.9%. The Journal of Prosthodontic Research demonstrated the highest average normal citation rate, with productive authors with highest citations being from Japan. From 1948 to 1999, most in-vitro and clinical research focused on the basic concept of RPD using cobalt-chromium as a framework before shifting to titanium in 2000. RPD research after 2012 focuses on new technology and non-metalbased frameworks as an alternative to metal-based frameworks. Wakabayashi and Fueki were the most prominent researchers, according to a three-field plot analysis, with the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, and Journal of Prosthodontic Research among the authors’ preferred journals. “CAD/CAM” and “3D printing” were identified as emerging themes in year 2020 to 2022, while “selective laser melting” was the trending keyword in 2017 to 2019. Research on “oral health and quality of life” has been identified as core research area in RPD-related research. RPD research on digital dentistry and new framework materials is anticipated to increase in the future with the incorporation of research on quality of life.