Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is one of the most prevalent birth defects. CLP can have a profound physical impact on the child and a psychological impact on both the parents and child. The systemic collection and audit of data on CLP has traditionally been an integral part of comprehensive cleft care. This requires the development of a national cleft registry. This article describes the current orthodontic cleft care, the benefits of a registry and assesses the challenges faced in developing a national cleft registry in Malaysia from an orthodontic point of view.

Objectives To determine the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis among underprivileged communities living in rural Malaysia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 participants aged between 1 and 85 years. Stool samples were examined using Wheatley's trichrome stain after in-vitro cultivation in Jones' medium to detect the presence of Blastocystis. Information pertaining to the demography, socioeconomic and environment were collected using pre-validated questionnaires. Results The total prevalence of Blastocystis infection was 40.7%. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥15 years (OR = 2.72; 95% CI = 1.47–5.04) and presence of infected family members (OR = 8.56; 95% CI = 4.47–16.38) were the significant risk factors associated with blastocystosis in these communities. Conclusions Blastocystosis is revealed through this study to be still prevalent among Orang Asli communities in rural Malaysia. The two main approaches that should be implemented by the public health authority in battling this infection would be the screening of other family members and giving treatment to the infected individuals. Moreover, it is imperative for health education on good personal and food hygiene practices are provided in order to reduce the morbidity and transmission of Blastocystis infection among the Orang Asli in their communities meaningfully.

The present study was conducted to investigate the clinical outcomes of Entamoeba histolytica infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic Orang Asli (aborigine) communities in Malaysia. Examination was performed on 500 stool samples obtained from Orang Asli communities in 3 different states using formalin-ether concentration, trichrome staining, and single-round PCR techniques. Out of 500 stool samples, single infection of E. histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, and Entamoeba moshkovskii was identified in 3.2%, 13.4%, and 1%, respectively. In addition, 10 samples had mixed infections with E. histolytica and E. dispar. Six samples containing E. dispar were also positive for E. moshkovskii, and only 2 samples had E. histolytica in association with E. dispar and E. moshkovskii. Seventeen E. histolytica-positive samples were from symptomatic subjects, whereas the remaining 11 samples came from asymptomatic subjects. These findings suggest a predominant distribution of pathogenic potential of E. histolytica strains in this community. Therefore, further studies on genotyping of E. histolytica is required, to find out association between E. histolytica genotype and the outcome of the infection.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asymptomatic Diseases ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coinfection/parasitology/pathology ; Entamoeba/*classification/isolation & purification/*pathogenicity ; Entamoebiasis/parasitology/*pathology ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Malaysia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome