The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the use of Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) on labial segment malocclusion in determining the need for orthodontic treatment among 8 to 10-year old children. Convenient sample of one hundred and six (106) children (54 boys and 52 girls) were examined extra and intra-orally. Their skeletal and dental discrepancies were assessed in all three dimension planes. Any presence of mandibular displacement was identified. The IOTN score was determined for each child. Respectively it was found that 39.6%, 49.1% and 11.3% of the children presented with skeletal Class I, Class II and Class III malocclusion(p<0.05). Inter-arch relationship showed a significant difference of the midline condition of the upper arch and the presence of anterior and posterior crossbite (p<0.05). About 17.8% of the children had increased overjet of more than 6 mm. Increased overbite was seen in 55.7% of the children with 7.6% presenting with palatal contact. There was a higher prevalence (57.5%) of crowding in the mandibular arch, while the maxillary arch had a higher prevalence (62.2%) of spacing. More than half (62.2%) of the children were in need of treatment (IOTN Grade 3, 4 and 5).This study showed a high prevalence of labial segment malocclusion among 8 to 10-year-old children which indicate orthodontic intervention. The IOTN is not a suitable index for mixed dentitions to be used for developing occlusion for the population group.
Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need ; Malocclusion ; Child

Poor oral conditions among older adults can cause significant impacts to their overall quality of life. Older adults with reduced number of functional teeth and dental diseases may experience difficulty in daily activities like chewing and eating. The aim of this study is to assess the association between oral health and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among a group of community-dwelling older adults in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 436 older adults aged 50 years and above from 20 randomly selected villages in the state. Respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Clinical oral examination was carried out to determine the oral health conditions of older people. The validated Malay version of Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used to measure OHRQoL. Total GOHAI score ranged from 12 to 60 with higher scores indicate better OHRQoL. Majority (77.1%) of the older adults had less than 20 teeth and about 18.3% were edentulous (total tooth loss). All dentate respondents had experienced dental caries. The median GOHAI score was 54.5 (IQR 50-57). About 25.5% of the older adults perceived their oral health as good, while 74.5% had poor perception on oral health. Bivariate analysis showed that less than 20 teeth and high dental caries experience were significantly associated with poor OHRQoL. A significantly higher proportion of older adults with less than 20 teeth limit the kinds of food intake, had trouble biting or chewing, and experienced tooth sensitivity. The physical functioning and well-being of the older people may be disrupted due to oral diseases. Measures of OHRQoL are important as to complement the clinical oral findings in identifying treatment needs of the geriatric patients.
elderly ; GOHAI ; oral health ; quality of life

Poor oral conditions among older adults can cause significant impacts to their overall quality of life. Older adults with reduced number of functional teeth and dental diseases may experience difficulty in daily activities like chewing and eating. The aim of this study is to assess the association between oral health and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among a group of community-dwelling older adults in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 436 older adults aged 50 years and above from 20 randomly selected villages in the state. Respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Clinical oral examination was carried out to determine the oral health conditions of older people. The validated Malay version of Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used to measure OHRQoL. Total GOHAI score ranged from 12 to 60 with higher scores indicate better OHRQoL. Majority (77.1%) of the older adults had less than 20 teeth and about 18.3% were edentulous (total tooth loss). All dentate respondents had experienced dental caries. The median GOHAI score was 54.5 (IQR 50-57). About 25.5% of the older adults perceived their oral health as good, while 74.5% had poor perception on oral health. Bivariate analysis showed that less than 20 teeth and high dental caries experience were significantly associated with poor OHRQoL. A significantly higher proportion of older adults with less than 20 teeth limit the kinds of food intake, had trouble biting or chewing, and experienced tooth sensitivity. The physical functioning and well-being of the older people may be disrupted due to oral diseases. Measures of OHRQoL are important as to complement the clinical oral findings in identifying treatment needs of the geriatric patients.

Loss of teeth can affect masticatory efficiency in older adults. This may result in avoidance or modifications in foodchoices and lead to lower intake of important nutrients among older individuals. The aim of this study was to determinethe association between tooth loss and body mass index, BMI, among older adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. Across-sectional study was carried out on 428 older adults aged 50 years and above from selected villages in district ofKuala Pilah. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Number of toothloss was determined through oral assessment, followed by anthropometric assessment to calculate the BMI of respondents.Findings showed that majority of the respondents were overweight and obese, 40.4% and 19.9% respectively, while onlya small proportion was underweight, 3.9%. The proportion of edentulism (total tooth loss) was 18.3% and majority ofthe older adults had lost more than 12 teeth (77.1%) and less than 4 pairs of occluding posterior teeth (86.0%). Totaland partial tooth loss was found to be not significantly associated with BMI. In relation to the arrangement of teeth,older adults with reduced number of posterior occluding pairs of teeth were more likely to experience unsatisfactoryBMI (OR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.48, 8.76). This may suggest that functional arrangement of the tooth in the oral cavity is moreimportant than the number of tooth loss alone. Thus, maintaining an optimum number of teeth for chewing is essentialfor maintenance of ideal BMI.

ABSTRACT Periodontal disease, generally known as a silent disease, is one of the major global oral health burdens that contributes to tooth loss in adults. This study was to compare findings and agreement between periodontal self-examination (SE) and self-reported (SR) assessments in detection of periodontal disease among selected adult patients in Kuala Lumpur. The subjects were patients who attended the periodontic clinics in Faculty of Dentistry, UKM. Periodontal patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned into two groups, SE and SR groups. Patients in the SE group performed a periodontal SE using illustrated written manual with questionnaire, while those in the SR group answered questionnaire. Both groups were given similar content of questionnaire. Clinical oral examinations were carried out on all patients by a single trained calibrated examiner. A total of 172 patients (86 in each group) participated in the study with the mean age of 48 years (SD 12.6). Majority of them had severe periodontal disease. Only item “total number of teeth” had showed good agreement (p < 0.01) between groups. SR group showed higher sensitivity for all items (mobility, colour, recession and bleeding). Meanwhile, the SE group demonstrated higher specificity for items on mobility, recession and bleeding. Both SR and SE assessment areas were reliable in measuring total number of teeth in periodontal patients. SR assessment is more sensitive in detecting periodontal disease in terms of items for mobility, colour, recession and bleeding.
Periodontal Diseases--diagnosis ; Adult ; Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

Introduction: Poor appetite is prevalent among older adults and may negatively impact on their overall health. This is especially true for institutionalised residents. Despite this, there is a paucity of research on appetite and its associated factors among institutionalised residents, which signified the present study. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly residents at long-term care facilities in the state of Selangor, Malaysia to ascertain their appetite status and its associated factors. Results: A total of 97 residents with mean age of 74.2±8.4 years old were recruited. They comprised 61.9% females and 38.1% males. More than 50% had poor appetite with early satiety. There were 63.0%, 82.4%, and 94.8% who had poor oral health, poor sleep quality, and depression, respectively. Ethnicity (OR=2.73; 95% CI=1.00-7.44; p=0.049) was the only factor that predicted poor appetite among older adults in long-term care facilities, with Malay residents having poorer appetite than their Chinese and Indian counterparts. Conclusion: The prevalence of poor appetite was high among residents staying at long-term care facilities in Selangor, Malaysia, especially among Malays. This issue deserves further studies to identify the specific underlying factors contributing to poor appetite among older adults from different ethnicities. Acknowledging the high prevalence of poor appetite among older adults and its possible unfavourable outcomes, appropriate nutrition interventions are therefore needed to address this issue among institutionalised elderly.