E-PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS GOVERNANCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MALAYSIAN DENTAL PRACTITIONERS: A DOCUMENT REVIEW Background: A subset of professionalism called "e-professionalism" is defined as the application of traditional professionalism ideas to online activities. The concept of e-professionalism is nested in the ethics of healthcare. Dentists, as professionals, must adhere to the principle of ethics while using social media. Objectives: To explore the Acts, regulations, Code of Conduct, or guidelines available pertaining to social media usage among dentists in Malaysia. Methods: A review of relevant legislation, regulations, Codes of conduct, and guidelines for the use of social media in dentistry was conducted using the READ (Ready, Extract, Analyse, Distill) approach. Results: There were twenty-five (25) documents directly or indirectly related to the Dental Act 2018 under the Oral Health Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia website. Only eight (8) documents were found directly or indirectly pertaining to social media usage among dental practitioners in Malaysia. Currently, there are no specific document guidelines on social media usage for both private and public dental practitioners in Malaysia. All related documents on guidelines were general and not directly related to social media use and needed to be read in conjunction with other directives and guidelines by the Ministry of Health. A comprehensive guideline on social media usage was available but only for the MOH staff, including public dental practitioners. Conclusion: In order to advance toward good ethical behaviour in dentistry, it is necessary to offer the dental profession conducive guidelines in social media usage.

THE ORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICES IN PAHANG, MALAYSIA Oral healthcare workforce planning is commonly limited to the calculation of dentist-to-population ratios. However, this approach overlooks several crucial variables, such as the burden of oral health needs. Workload analysis is implemented to gain a comprehensive understanding of the true oral health requirements. This study aims to enhance our comprehension of the workforce imbalance and its effect on the distribution of personnel serving School Dental Services (SDS) in Pahang. To achieve standardised workforce sizing for every school, the operator-to-student ratio, that is, the ratio of a single operator to the entire student body, is utilised. The collected data is then merged and computed into the ArcGIS Pro software for geospatial analysis. Statistical analysis is conducted through the utilisation of SPSS software. In Pahang, 10% (n=72) of schools have a low operator-to-student ratio, with 47 located in Kuantan. There is a significant difference in DMFT mean between rural (0.74; SD=0.60) and urban (0.86; SD=0.58) schools (p=0.02). Kuantan's urban schools have a significant operator burden, with a shortage of operators compared to other districts, amplifying the workforce distribution imbalance. Compared to urban areas, there is a greater ratio of one operator to the total student population in rural areas. However, schools with a higher number of students need more children to be treated per operator. The necessity for a fair workload-based distribution of SDS staff is evident.

Introduction: Orang Asli refers to the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia, representing 0.6% of the Malaysian population. Vast inequality was observed regarding oral health beliefs, behaviour, and utilisation of oral health services between the Orang Asli and non-Orang Asli. The aim of the study was to explore the oral health beliefs, perceptions, and oral health service utilization behaviour among Orang Asli in the district of Bera, Pahang, Malaysia. Methods: Orang Asli’s oral health beliefs and perceptions of oral healthcare service were ascertained through four FGDs. Nineteen participants from Bera’s semi-urban and rural Orang Asli communities were convened. Emerging themes from the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Orang Asli believed that oral health is essential for an individual’s function and aesthetics. They are also aware that inadequate oral hygiene care will result in tooth decay and gum disease. Most of the Orang Asli that chewed betel nuts believed that limestone paste could cause oral cancer. The main barriers to Orang Asli accessing oral healthcare services were time constraints and distance to the nearby clinic. Conclusion: The Orang Asli believed oral health care is essential in ensuring a healthy oral condition. Despite their generational belief towards traditional healers and medication, Orang Asli in Bera had a perceived positive acceptance towards oral healthcare services.

Introduction: This study aims to explore the dental students’ educational experience, the protocol consideration after school reopening and their physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, to evaluate the anxiety level of dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional survey was distributed with a hyperlink, reported as frequencies and percentages. A univariate analysis was used to explore the significant associations between demographic variables and anxiety levels. The risk factor was also identified using regression analysis. A two-tailed p<0.25 was considered significant. Results: A total of 333 respondents participated in the survey. Half of the respondents (42.3%) were comfortable with distance learning but worried about passing their examination and completing their clinical requirements. The transitioning to the online course by the lecturer was documented as effective. Despite missing academic sessions, only 15.3% were willing to replace the loss of educational experience. The majority of students (85.9%) believed that masks should be worn in school, but varied perceptions on wearing gloves and frequent COVID-19 testing. For physical health, mostly concerned about contracting the virus after the school reopens. For their anxiety level, nearly half have mild (n=99), moderate (n=55), and severe (n=36) levels. The factors were mainly associated with gender, household income, type of university, and respondent’s accommodation. Conclusion: As positive feedback was recorded towards online learning, constant improvement is needed to ensure the possibility of hybrid learning, even after the pandemic. The physical and psychological health of dental students should be a priority, to ensure a smooth transition during these unprecedented circumstances.

Introduction: Numerous studies have examined both the effect of caries and dental care under general anaesthesia affecting children and children with special needs, but there is still scant information on the relationship between both classes. Thus this project is aimed i) to compare oral health-related quality of life in children and children with special needs undergoing dental care under general anaesthesia (GA) and ii) To compare the impact on oral health-related quality of life in children and children with special needs. Methods: Forty-six children (25 normal children, 21 children with special needs) are recruited. Participating parents completed a brief version of the Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and Family Impact Scale (FIS) before the treatment and subsequent follow-up appointments (4 weeks to 8 weeks). Oral symptoms, social health, psychology, functional limitation, and family effect ratings, the mean, standard deviations, and statistical differences between groups were analysed. Results: 52.2% of both parent groups rated the oral health status of their children as low before GA, and it improved considerably, with 69.6% of parents rating post-operatively as healthy. The most recorded impacts at baseline were pain, discomfort, often annoyed and angry among children and parents feeling guilty and upset due to the condition of the child. Conclusion: Oral rehabilitation under GA leads to the immediate improvement of oral health, mental, and social quality among the children in both groups. However, for parents of children with special needs, despite the effort to eradicate dental-related issues, the overall quality of life shows no significant improvements.