Dentistry

The specialty of Dental Surgery has progressed from the "blood and acrylic" of the early seventies. Dentistry has undergone a quantum leap over the past twenty-five years, with improvements in both technique and technology, bringing us the sophisticated procedures used in today's practice.peer-reviewe

A clinical practice audit of management and outcomes of patients presenting with chest pain to the Medical Admissions Unit

Acute central chest pain accounts for a significant proportion of emergency medical admissions. If chest pain evaluation is systematic & risk-based, it may prevent unnecessary admissions. This audit aims to observe various aspects of management of patients admitted with chest pain; areas needing review are identified and improvements on current practice are considered. The study observed the current practices in 292 admissions for chest pain to the Medical Admissions Unit over a 3 month period. The relative frequency of risk factors and utilisation of resources were observed. Ninety-one patients (31.2%) that were admitted with chest pain had a diagnostic ECG or raised cardiac enzymes. Twenty-one patients (7.2%) had an urgent exercise stress test (EST) whilst 27 patients (9.2%) had an urgent coronary angiogram. In all, 16 patients (5.5 %) were readmitted with a cardiac event and 8 patients (2.7%) died within 3 months. The presence of age >65, diabetes or hypertension were associated with a high rate of adverse events (13.9%, 16.4%, and 11.6% respectively).peer-reviewe

Cognitive and affective perspectives on immersive technology in education

This research explains the rationale behind the utilization of mobile learning technologies. It involves a qualitative study among children to better understand their opinions and perceptions toward the use of educational applications (apps) that are available on their mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. The researchers organized semi-structured, face-to-face interview sessions with primary school students who were using mobile technologies at their primary school. The students reported that their engagement with the educational apps has improved their competencies. They acquired relational and communicative skills as they collaborated in teams. On the other hand, there were a few students who were not perceiving the usefulness and the ease of use of the educational apps on their mobile device. This study indicates that the research participants had different skillsets as they exhibited different learning abilities. In conclusion, this contribution opens-up avenues for future research in this promising field of study.peer-reviewe

Digital learning resources and ubiquitous technologies in education

This research explores the educators' attitudes and perceptions about their utilisation of digital learning technologies. The methodology integrates measures from ‘the pace of technological innovativeness’ and the ‘technology acceptance model’ to understand the rationale for further ICT investment in compulsory education. A quantitative study was carried out amongst two hundred forty-one educators in Malta. It has investigated the costs and benefits of using digital learning resources in schools from the educator’s perspective. Principal component analysis has indicated that the educators were committed to using digital technologies. In addition, a step-wise regression analysis has shown that the younger teachers were increasingly engaging in digital learning resources. Following this study’s empirical findings educational stakeholders are better informed about how innovative technologies can support our students. In conclusion, this paper puts forward key implications and recommendations for regulatory authorities and policy makers for better curricula and educational outcomes.peer-reviewe

Perception, cognitive development and humour in the child

Like beauty, humour is in the eye of the beholder, having no objective existence, being purely a product of the act of perception) In other words, humour results not from the concrete object which impinges physically upon the organism, but from the complex process which organizes and places the sensory-data within a frame of reference, thus bestowing meaning on it. A "humour stimulus" (e.g. a "joke") - like any other stimulus - is intrinsically meaningless, and only acquires meaning after the perceptual process has successfully managed to decipher a pattern in the stimulus which can be matched with pre-existing schemata in the mind.peer-reviewe

The new Mental Health Act and the family doctor

The new Mental Health Act (2012), is expected to enter fully into force in October 2014. This Act will completely replace the Mental Health Act which we have known and worked with over the last 30 years. Essentially this new Law will bring with it challenges and opportunities for all health care professionals involved in the care of persons with mental disorders. The new Mental Health Act follows the trend of modern legislation, which essentially adopts an individual human rights approach and places an emphasis on the protection of such rights in vulnerable groups in society, in this case persons with a mental disorder. The Act also mirrors the wider changes in knowledge, perception and attitudes towards mental diseases and mental health which have taken shape over the past decades. The new Mental Health Act provides the family doctor with a modern legislative framework which promotes the rights of the person with mental disorder whilst ensuring the required level of protection.peer-reviewe

The prevalence of impacted permanent maxillary canines in Maltese school children : a pilot study

The aetiology of ectopic canines is not clear. A number of causes have been put forward such as the long path of eruption of the maxillary canine, lack of guidance by the lateral incisor root, narrow arches, cystic enlargement of the dental follicle large arches, and familial tendency. In this article the author gives a detail report of the pilot study carried out on Maltese school children in various schools compared to school children of other countries.peer-reviewe

The Psoriasis Association of Malta

The Psoriasis Association of Malta was the brainchild of leading dermatologist Dr. Joe Pace. In January 1994 he invited many of his patients who had this condition, to get together to work out how the association was to function.peer-reviewe

A review of the methods used to study biocompatibility of Portland cement-derived materials used in dentistry

Advanced restorative dentistry may necessitate the need for surgical intervention to the infected root apex. Once access to the root end is achieved, the root apex is resected and filled with a dental restorative material. The materials currently in use are not satisfactory due to inadequate biocompatibility and failure to achieve desirable properties in an aqueous environment. With the introduction of a new material, essentially Portland cement used in the building industry, these desirable properties have been achieved. This paper reviews the methods of testing biocompatibility of Portland cement used in dentistry.peer-reviewe