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It is no doubt that corruption has enormous effects on the efficiency of the healthcare sector. Henceforth, the healthcare sector is a very complex and challenging sector for preventing corruption. Unpacking this issue leads us to the efforts made by the Malaysian government through the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Cabinet Special Committee on Anti-Corruption (JKKMAR) by attempting to control corruption in a variety of ways, such as through general accountability frameworks and broader inclusion of transparency in its operations. Therefore, this research aims to present a legal framework, policy and good practice to guide policymakers in examining corruption in the health sector and to identify possible ways to intervene towards achieving a corrupt-free nation as echoed in the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019-2023. Keywords: Corruption; risks; laws; healthcare eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7%20(Special%20Issue).3815

Interprofessional education (IPE), which is aimed at improving the quality of patient care and overall health outcome, has been advocated to prepare future healthcare professionals for collaborative practice OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of IPE among clinical healthcare students at a Malaysian institution METHODS: A validated questionnaire, developed from previous studies, was distributed online to selected final year students of 10 clinical programs from medical, dental, pharmacy and health sciences faculties (n = 501). Quantitative data was analyzed via chi-square test (significance value p .05) using social sciences software (SPSS).The overall response rate was 76.4% (n = 383). About 63.2% of respondents reported having experienced IPE. This experience took place in lectures (32.1%) and online courses/webinars (36.2%). The majority of respondents provided positive feedback on various aspects of IPE. There was an insignificant difference among respondents across all programs in terms of their perception of its importance and effectiveness as well as their own preference for multidisciplinary lectures as a mode to conduct IPE. Most students agreed that challenges in conducting IPE include time constraints (83%), communication difficulties (70.8%), and lack of skills (57.4%), with no significant difference across programs. Students opined that IPE was beneficial in providing exposure to other disciplines, encouraging peer interactions, developing new skills, and improving overall learning experience. However, some reported challenges in integrating with other students, while others cited compromised experience due to problems with crowd control CONCLUSION: Students' support for IPE has positive implications for future implementation and highlights areas for improvement and further development.

OBJECTIVE: Representing the largest proportion of healthcare workers, nurses play a significant role in oral health (OH) maintenance as part of a larger effort to promote holistic patient care. The study aims to determine nursing students' perceptions of OH education and practice in Malaysian and Australian nursing schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire (content- and face-validated) survey was undertaken, classroom style, amongst final-year nursing students from selected Malaysian (n = 122, Response rate=97.6%) and Australian (n = 299, Response rate=54.7%) institutions. Quantitative data were analysed via Statistical Package for Social Science software (Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, p ≤ 0.01). RESULTS: Significantly more Malaysian nursing students, compared to those in Australia, reported having encountered patients with OH issues (98.4% vs. 82.9%), namely halitosis (87.7% vs. 62.2%), oral ulcers (63.1% vs. 41.1%), oral/dental trauma (36.9% vs. 21.1%) and caries in children (28.7% vs. 7.7%). Less than half of Malaysian and Australian nursing students reported that they received adequate OH training (48.4% vs. 36.6%, p ≤ 0.01), especially in detecting oral cancer (18.0.0% vs. 22.6%, p ≤ 0.01) and preventing oral diseases (46.7% vs. 41.7%, p ≤ 0.01). Students in both countries demonstrated positive attitudes and believed in their role in OH care. Most students agreed that they should receive training in OH, especially in smoking cessation and providing OH care for patients with special needs. They also opined that a standardized evidence-based oral hygiene protocol is needed. CONCLUSION: Support for education and practice in this area of patient care suggested positive implications for further development of nurses' roles in OH promotion and management.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to assess dental students' training and experiences in addressing traumatic dental injury (TDI), and, more specifically, their knowledge of TDI management in children. METHODS All Year 1 to Year 5 dental students (n = 413; response rate = 72.9%) were invited to participate in an online, self-administered survey, which was based on a validated questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed via chi-squared test (p

In this report, we present the case of a 68-year-old male patient with a complaint of mastication and speech limitations one year after the prescription of a fixed bridge and the construction of "connected" crowns by a "street dentist." A thorough oral examination revealed a multilobulated swelling in the right buccal mucosa that extended to the buccal sulcus. The lesion, which was first noticed as a small, asymptomatic swelling by the patient one year prior, seemed to have undergone enlargement since the prostheses were prescribed. The lesion was completely removed via surgical excision under general anesthesia. Histopathological examination of the excisional mass revealed mature adipocytes and features consistent with conventional or classic lipoma. This case highlights the importance of receiving dental treatment from a qualified professional, whose responsibilities include performing a thorough examination of the oral cavity during treatment planning and delivery, review appointments, and regular dental visits. Such investigation is important to allow for early disease detection and control, especially for patients with complex treatment needs as well as those who may present with asymptomatic and slow-growing lesions such as lipomas.

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare bone disorder. The main dental features are the presence of multiple retained deciduous teeth and supernumerary teeth, as well as unerupted permanent teeth. To date, CCD is managed by a combination approach, which consists of the extraction of deciduous and supernumerary teeth, followed by orthodontic traction of unerupted permanent teeth. This case highlights the management of a girl with CCD, who refused the recommended protocol. A 15-year-old Malay female presented with a complaint of retained deciduous teeth. Intraoral examination revealed multiple retained deciduous teeth. Radiographs showed numerous impacted supernumerary and unerupted permanent teeth. The patient opted to improve her facial appearance with a less aggressive treatment option. A composite build-up on all anterior maxillary deciduous teeth was carried out until the patient was ready to undergo surgical intervention.

To translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) questionnaire concerning mother's behavior related to children's dental attendance.The cross-cultural adaptation was tested in mothers with children aged 5-12 years old who have hearing loss. The validity and reliability of the online questionnaire were measured among 31 mothers of children with hearing loss in communities and Special School for Children with Hearing Loss in several regions in Indonesia. All indicators of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control (PBC) on mothers' behavior towards children's attendance was valid (p .05). The overall Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire for internal consistency was 0.773. The test-retest reliability results were based on repeated administration in the same participant mother, measured at one-week interval; the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.903.The Indonesian version of the TPB questionnaire concerning mother's behavior related to children's oral health has shown adequate validity and reliability for investigating the dental attendance of children with hearing loss.

It has been reported that there are a certain percentage of COVID-19 patients who recover but suffer from devastating permanent organ damage or failure. Others suffer from long Covid syndrome, with prolonged symptoms that persist more than 12 weeks. However, there is scarcity of literature regarding the provision of dental treatment for these two groups of patients. This manuscript reviews the impact of multi-system involvement on the provision of dental care to these patients.A search of literature was done in PubMed-Medline and Scopus databases to review the available literature on COVID-19 impacts on pulmonary, cardiovascular, haematologic, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neurologic systems and respective management in dental clinical settings.The literature search from PubMed-Medline and Scopus databases resulted in 74 salient articles that contributed to the concise review on COVID-19 effects on pulmonary, cardiovascular, haematologic, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and neurologic systems and/or its respective dental management recommendations.This concise review covers the management of post COVID-19 patients with pulmonary, cardiovascular, haematologic, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine, or neurologic system complications.

Introduction A high degree of training is necessary to prepare student nurses for their roles as oral healthcare partners that can promote a holistic approach to health in the community. This study aims to determine the extent of oral health education in Australian and Malaysian nursing institutions, as well as investigate educators' perceptions of education and practice in this area of care. Methodology An audio-recorded, semi-structured qualitative phone interview was conducted with the heads of 42 nursing schools across Australia (n = 35) and Malaysia (n = 7) during the 2015 academic year. Qualitative data were analysed via thematic analysis. Quantitative data, wherever appropriate, were measured for frequencies. Results The response rate was 34.2% (n = 12) and 71.4% (n = 5) for the Australian and Malaysian subjects, respectively. Findings revealed that although all the nursing schools measured provided didactic and clinical training in oral health, curriculum content, expected learning outcomes, amount of clinical exposure and assessment approach lacked consistency. Most nursing educators across both countries perceived an overloaded curriculum as a barrier to providing oral health education. Whilst educators demonstrated their support for training in this area of care, they expressed the need for an established national guideline that highlights the educational requirement for future nurses in oral health maintenance and their scope of practice. Conclusion This study provides valuable information for further developing oral health education for nurses, to improve their competency and ultimately the health of the communities that they will serve.

Special Care Dentistry (SCD) education has been introduced in Malaysia, but there are limited number of studies about its impact to students. Thus, this study aimed to explore the level of students' readiness to treat people with learning disability (PWLD) based on their attitudes, self-efficacy and intention to treat.A questionnaire was developed based on the Dental Student Attitude to the Handicapped Scale, Scale of Attitudes to the Disabled Persons and Health Action Process Approach. The self-administered, validated questionnaire was tested for reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .71-.81), before being distributed to clinical dental students of both genders from two universities (University A, n = 176 and University B, n = 175). Quantitative data were analysed via t test and ANOVA (p .05) using the SPSS software.There was no significant difference in mean total attitude score between the universities, although dental students from University A, who mostly reported having received hands-on clinical experience in SCD and exposure to Disability Equality Training (DET), showed significantly higher individual mean attitude score for 5 (out of 24) attitudinal items. The mean total self-efficacy score and individual mean self-efficacy score for 1 (out of 5) self-efficacy items were also significantly higher amongst University A dental students. The intention to treat PWLD was not significantly influenced by university, gender or year of study.Incorporation of SCD education in the undergraduate curriculum, with hands-on clinical experience and exposure to DET, is recommended to equip students to be efficient oral healthcare providers for PWLD.

Behavioural guidance (BG) training is an important component of preparing future dentists to manage paediatric patients, who often exhibit cooperation issues during treatment. This study investigated the acceptance of various BG techniques amongst dental students in a Malaysian institution.A paper-based survey was conducted, classroom-style, on all dental students (Year 1 to Year 5, n = 336, response rate = 84.5%) using a validated questionnaire, developed from previous literature. For each BG technique, students used a visual analogue scale to mark their acceptability score; this figure was later categorised into different acceptance levels. Students' mean acceptability scores and acceptance of each BG technique were consecutively analysed via independent t test and chi-square test (significance level, P 0.01) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software.Across the academic year, most students cited acceptance of reinforcement techniques (eg positive reinforcement, encouraging child "not to be a coward", promising a toy) and desensitisation methods (eg tell-show-do, music/video distraction, stimulating the child's imagination, using euphemism), but not for aversive interventions (eg hand over mouth, using Papoose Board, active immobilisation) and showing needles (P 0.01). Percentages of those who accepted communicative techniques involving parents demonstrated significant differences across subjects of different academic years, between pre-clinical and clinical groups of respondents and amongst clinical students. Other techniques with such significant differences, along with low acceptance, included modelling, voice control and disallowing the child to speak.The findings of this study provide useful information for curricular enhancement aimed at equipping dental students with the ability to apply appropriate and effective BG techniques during patient care.

OBJECTIVES Preparing future dental school graduates to provide comprehensive patient care with empathy requires the completion of adequate training in such practice. This study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of the Photodentistry learning activity, which uses visual arts, in improving dental students' empathy and learning experience in comprehensive patient care. METHODS All fourth-year undergraduate dental students (n = 69, response rate = 100%) participated in the Photodentistry learning activity developed by specialists from the areas of dentistry, arts, education, and psychology. A survey using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) was conducted both pretest and posttest, followed by an open-ended written survey of their reflection towards the learning activity. Quantitative data were analyzed via paired t-test (P < 0.05), while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS There was a significant increase in both students' total mean empathy score and the individual scores for 8 (out of 16) items of the TEQ after the learning activity. Students stated that they had an improved understanding of managing patients in a comprehensive manner (e.g., managing medically compromised patients, performing treatment planning, communication with patients who have special health care needs). Students also reported the development of skills (e.g., observation, critical thinking) and positive attitudes (e.g., empathy, responsibility) towards patients. CONCLUSION Photodentistry is an effective learning approach for improving dental students' empathy and learning experience in comprehensive patient care.

Introduction The role of dental auxiliaries in collaborative care of patients with special needs is compelling. This study was undertaken to investigate the perceptions of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) education and practice amongst students enrolled in Australian programmes in dental auxiliary, namely dental hygiene, dental therapy and oral health therapy (DH/DT/OHT). Materials and methods All Australian institutions offering DH/DT/OHT programmes (n = 14) were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire survey, conducted online, involving students across all academic years. Twelve institutions agreed to participate, but only five institutions were included in the final analysis, with a student response rate of 31.1%. Answers to open-ended questions were coded and grouped for measurement of frequencies. Quantitative data were analysed via chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests (significance taken as P

Education in oral health is important to prepare future medical professionals for collaborative roles in maintaining patients' oral health, an important component of general health and well-being. The aims of this study were to determine the perceptions of medical students in Malaysia and Australia of the quality of their training in oral health care and their perceptions of their professional role in maintaining the oral health of their patients. A survey was administered in the classroom with final-year Malaysian (n=527; response rate=79.3%) and Australian (n=455; response rate: 60%) medical students at selected institutions in those countries. In the results, most of these medical students reported encountering patients with oral health conditions including ulcers, halitosis, and edentulism. A majority in both countries reported believing they should advise patients to obtain regular dental check-ups and eat a healthy diet, although they reported feeling less than comfortable in managing emergency dental cases. A high percentage reported they received a good education in smoking cessation but not in managing dental trauma, detecting cancerous lesions, or providing dietary advice in oral disease prevention. They expressed support for inclusion of oral health education in medical curricula. These students' experience with and perceptions of oral health care provide valuable information for medical curriculum development in these two countries as well as increasing understanding of this aspect of interprofessional education and practice now in development around the world.

Poor oral health has been associated with compromised general health and quality of life. To promote comprehensive patient management, the role of medical professionals in oral health maintenance is compelling, thus indicating the need for educational preparation in this area of practice. This study aimed to determine the extent of training in oral health in Malaysian and Australian medical schools. An audio-recorded semi-structured phone interview involving Academic Programme Directors in Malaysian (n = 9, response rate=81.8%) and Australian (n = 7, response rate = 35.0%) medical schools was conducted during the 2014/2015 and 2014 academic years, respectively. Qualitative data was analysed via thematic analysis, involving coding and grouping into emerging themes. Quantitative data were measured for frequencies. It was found that medical schools in Malaysia and Australia offered limited teaching of various oral health-related components that were mostly integrated throughout the curriculum, in the absence of structured learning objectives, teaching methodologies and assessment approaches. Barriers to providing oral health education included having insufficient expertise and overloaded curriculum. As medical educators demonstrated support for oral health education, collaboration amongst various stakeholders is integral to developing a well-structured curriculum and practice guidelines on oral health management involving medical professionals.

Context: Oral health inequalities experienced by patients, including people with disabilities (PWD), have been related to dentists’ lack of professionalism and inadequate experience in managing patients with special needs. Aims: This study investigated the impact of an extramural program involving PWD on dental students’ professionalism and students’ perception of training in managing patients with special needs. Materials and Methods: A group of 165 undergraduate dental students (year 1 to year 5) participated in a voluntary program, involving 124 visually impaired children, at a special education school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A dedicated module in oral health was developed by specialists in special care dentistry, pedodontics, and medical sciences. Dental students then participated in a semi-structured focus group interview survey to discuss perceptions of their learning experiences. Qualitative data were analyzed via thematic analysis. Results: The program had positive impact on various aspects categorized into four major domains: professional knowledge (e.g., understanding of oral-systemic-social-environmental health interaction and understanding of disability), professional skills (e.g., communication and organizational skills), professional behavior (e.g., empathy and teamwork), and value-added learning (e.g., photography and information technology skills). Students showed improved willingness to manage, and comfort in managing PWD, and expressed support for future educational programs involving this patient cohort. Conclusion: Improved knowledge, skills, attitudes, and personal values, as well as support for future programs, indicate the positive impact of extramural educational activities involving PWD in developing professionalism in patient care, while providing an opportunity for students to be exposed to managing patients with special needs.

In the era of Big Data, visualization of scientific literature is instrumental to comprehend the overall progress of a knowledge domain. Researchers in the past have published a massive amount of scientific publication in various forms such as journal article, conference proceeding and short communication. In the early years, researchers have conducted bibliometric studies with less emphasis given on visualization. However, recent developments in the use of visualization techniques have allowed more complex and interactive visualization in bibliometric research through the application of various software packages. This has allowed more graphical representation to complement bibliometric studies. One of the key benefits of using visualization is the improvement on cognitive and perceptive understanding in quantitative and verbal information. Realizing this potential, we intended to visualize Dental research data in Scopus according to (a) Co-authorship networks (b) Keyword co-occurrences and (c) Cited references pattern and citation burst.

Meeting the oral health care needs of the growing population of people with special health care needs (SHCN) starts with dental students' acquisition of sound knowledge and development of clinical competence at the predoctoral level. The aim of this study was to review the level of undergraduate education in Special Needs Dentistry (SND) in Malaysian and Australian dental schools. The deans of all six Malaysian public dental schools and eight of nine Australian dental schools participated in a postal survey on current undergraduate didactic and clinical training in SND at their institutions. The results showed the number of dental schools in Malaysia with teaching in SND as a specific discipline was relatively low compared to that of Australia. However, a high percentage of Malaysian and Australian dental schools reported incorporating teaching of SND into pediatric dentistry (83.3 percent vs. 75 percent), oral medicine/oral pathology (66.7 percent vs. 75 percent), and oral surgery (66.7 percent vs. 25 percent). Most respondents said their school delivered SND clinical training in dental school clinics, hospital-based settings, and residential aged care facilities. Respondents in both countries viewed lack of faculty expertise as the greatest barrier to providing SND education. The study provides valuable information that can direct SND curriculum development in the two countries.

Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to investigate the referral patterns and treatment needs of patients managed by the special care dentistry (SCD) clinic specialists at a Malaysian teaching dental hospital, in preparation for improved oral health services for this patient population. Materials and Methods: The dental records of patients who attended the SCD clinic between January and December 2017, were reviewed for information, including sociodemographic characteristics, sources and reasons for referral, dental treatment needs, and medical profile. Quantitative data were analyzed via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version (chi-squared test, P < 0.01). Results: A total of 182 patients were managed in 2017, consisting mostly of Malays (89.6%) and with a majority being males (63.2%) in the 0–20 years age group (69.8%). A slight prevalence of adolescent/adult patients (52.2%) was reported as compared with that of pediatric patients (47.8%), with no significant difference between the genders. Many of the patients were encountered within the mobile dental service program (53.8%) and mostly first presented for routine checkups (66.5%). Treatment needs included periodontal therapy (76.9%), restoration (47.3%), exodontia (28.0%), and dentures (12.1%). The patient study sample additionally boasted physical impairments (58.8%), complex medical conditions (32.4%), psychiatric disorders (8.8%), and intellectual disabilities (8.2%). Systemic health issues included cardiovascular (18.7%), respiratory (9.9%), and endocrine (7.7%) disorders. Significant differences in the numbers of patients with physical disabilities and complex medical conditions were observed across age groups. Conclusion: This study provides important information for the future development of SCD services at the institutional and national levels.

A compromised oral health condition amongst patients with special health care needs (SHCN) has been associated with the reluctance and shortage of skills of dental professionals in managing such patients. Lack of training and experience at the undergraduate level are reported barriers to the provision of care for this patient cohort. Undergraduate education therefore, plays an important role in producing professionals with the knowledge, skills and positive attitude in treating patients with SHCN. This study aims to determine the level of knowledge, comfort and attitudes of Malaysian undergraduate dental students towards caring for patients with SHCN, as well as their perception on education in this field. A self-administered questionnaire was administered in the classroom style to final year undergraduate dental students in Malaysian public dental schools. Most students were aware of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) as a specialty after being informed by academic staff. The majority of the students demonstrated poor knowledge in defining SND and felt uncomfortable providing care for such patients. They perceived their undergraduate training in SND as inadequate with most students agreeing that they should receive didactic and clinical training at undergraduate level. A high percentage of students also expressed interest in pursuing postgraduate education in this area of dentistry despite the lack of educational exposure during undergraduate years. The study supports a need for educational reform to formulate a curriculum that is more patient-centred, with earlier clinical exposure in various clinical settings for students to treat patients with special health care needs, applying the concept of holistic care in a variable clinical condition.

This study was conducted to identify the prevalence of stress, types of stressors, consequences of stress and stress relievers among undergraduate dental students at the University of Malaya during the different years of study. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among Bachelor of Dental Surgery students during Years 2 to 5. A 100% response rate was obtained. The instrument asked questions about the preceding academic year. The results of the questionnaire reveal the prevalence of stress was 100%. The most common cause of stress among preclinical students was academic concerns and among clinical students was patient management and clinical performance. Physical and behavioral problems were reported as consequences of stress. Most students overcame stress by having strong interpersonal relationships.