To assess the oral health behaviour and preventive dental care experiences of patients with special health care needs (SHCN) who attended the Special Care Dental (SCD) Clinic at University of Malaya. Data were collected from 31 patients using a self-administered questionnaire which consisted of questions pertaining to their oral health behaviours and experiences on receiving preventive dental care (PDC). For patients who were unable to answer due to existing health conditions, parents or primary caregivers were approached as proxy. Descriptive analysis was conducted and reported based on percentages to identify the oral health behaviour and PDC of the individuals. Majority brushed their teeth at least once a day (84%), used fluoridated toothpaste (87%) and oral hygiene aids (58%). However, almost half of them (48%) required assistance from parents or caregivers during tooth brushing and consumed sugary snacks in between meals (58%). About 80% had received PDC where the type of care received was mainly oral hygiene advice (77%). Slightly more than 80% preferred the one-to-one demonstration method during PDC. Most gave positive evaluation on their PDC experience especially on items pertaining to the dentist’s attitude. Whilst most of the SHCN patients in this study had positive perception on the PDC that they received and practised good brushing behaviour, their dietary habits need to be improved. Thus, regular preventive dental visit amongst SHCN patients is important for appropriate and comprehensive dental care in maintaining oral health..

Background: In Malaysia, training to enter dentalnursing profession is only open to women. Ironically,there are no such gender restrictions on training forany other health related professions in Malaysia.Aim: Therefore this study aims to assess theperceptions of Malaysian Senior Dental Officers(SDOs) towards the employability of male workers inthe dental nursing profession and to compare findingsfrom male and female SDOs. Methods: This crosssectional study was carried out on all SDOs inMinistry of Health, Malaysia, using a self-administeredquestionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a chi squaretest were used to address the study objectives. Results:Of the 112 participants, 78 SDOs returned thequestionnaire, yielding a response rate of 70%. Themajority of SDOs had positive perceptions of theemployment of male dental nurses. It was indicated thatgender is an important indicator for workforcedevelopment, and that the employment of both maleand female dental nurses would enhance productivity.Almost 70% of SDOs perceived that the productivityof oral health service would be enhanced by havingmale and female dental nurses but 84.6% disagreedthat male dental nurses would be more productive thanfemale. Two thirds of SDOs disagreed that male dentalnurses would increase satisfaction among malepatients. About 64% of male SDOs disagreed thatdental nursing profession is associated with femaletraits. There was no significant difference betweenperceptions by male and female SDOs for anystatements. Conclusion: The majority of MalaysianSDOs have positive perceptions towards theemployability of male dental nurses, and perceiveddental nursing as a suitable profession for bothgenders. Training for the dental nursing professionshould therefore be made available for men.