Behaviour support in dentistry: A Delphi study to agree terminology in behaviour management

Objectives: Dental behaviour support (DBS) describes all specific techniques practiced to support patients in their experience of professional oral healthcare. DBS is roughly synonymous with behaviour management, which is an outdated concept. There is no agreed terminology to specify the techniques used to support patients who receive dental care. This lack of specificity may lead to imprecision in describing, understanding, teaching, evaluating and implementing behaviour support techniques in dentistry. Therefore, this e‐Delphi study aimed to develop a list of agreed labels and descriptions of DBS techniques used in dentistry and sort them according to underlying principles of behaviour. Methods: Following a registered protocol, a modified e‐Delphi study was applied over two rounds with a final consensus meeting. The threshold of consensus was set a priori at 75%. Agreed techniques were then categorized by four coders, according to behavioural learning theory, to sort techniques according to their mechanism of action. Results: The panel (n = 35) agreed on 42 DBS techniques from a total of 63 candidate labels and descriptions. Complete agreement was achieved regarding all labels and descriptions, while agreement was not achieved regarding distinctiveness for 17 techniques. In exploring underlying principles of learning, it became clear that multiple and differing principles may apply depending on the specific context and procedure in which the technique may be applied. Discussion: Experts agreed on what each DBS technique is, what label to use, and their description, but were less likely to agree on what distinguishes one technique from another. All techniques were describable but not comprehensively categorizable according to principles of learning. While objective consistency was not attained, greater clarity and consistency now exists. The resulting list of agreed terminology marks a significant foundation for future efforts towards understanding DBS techniques in research, education and clinical care

The development of special needs dentistry service in Malaysia - a situational analysis (based on New Zealand experience)

Aim: The aim of this project is to understand the expectations of the Malaysian population for future development of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) service in Malaysia. Along with the current recognition of the specialty by Ministry of Health, Malaysia, the Ministry has identified New Zealand as an appropriate nation to provide information on service developments and lessons learnt from an established service. Methodology: Mixed-methods research design was adopted to carry out this study which contained both qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative part involved interviewing fifty five participants who represented the major stakeholders in the SND service, both in Malaysia and New Zealand which comprised people with special needs, caregivers, policy makers, dentists and disability support group representatives. The qualitative data were analysed using applied grounded theory. The dominant themes identified were used to formulate the survey questionnaire for the quantitative part in which 345 paper questionnaires were posted. A response rate of 17.0% was calculated from the original surveys returned. Results: The data suggested inadequate home and professional dental care for people with special needs which underline the necessity to develop the SND service in Malaysia. Transportation difficulties, lack of awareness about the importance of dental care, negative attitude, the difficulties in finding an accompanying person for the dental visit as well as an extended time required by the dentist to treat people with special needs (PSN) were identified as barriers to access dental care facilities. In addition, inadequate knowledge and experience of the local dentists could be one of the contributing factors for their unwillingness to provide the service. The results also suggested that patients who required general anaesthesia for dental treatment, those with complex medical problems and uncooperative patients should be treated under the specialist care. This would be more appropriately provided in the hospital environment than in the community setting. Even though it was suggested that a domiciliary service was necessary, this practically depended on the achievement of the adequate number of specialists in this field and the existence of a well established service and network. Nevertheless, it appeared that the Ministry of Health Malaysia is well prepared to face the challenges in the development of the SND service in Malaysia. Conclusions: There were definitely some issues regarding dental health care of people with special needs which had to be considered and could be managed by the Ministry of Health in the future development of the service. Oral health promotion covering areas such as building public health policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills or reorientating health service in the pursuit of oral health goals would help to strengthen the service in the near future

The development of special needs dentistry service in Malaysia - a situational analysis (based on New Zealand experience)

Aim: The aim of this project is to understand the expectations of the Malaysian population for future development of Special Needs Dentistry (SND) service in Malaysia. Along with the current recognition of the specialty by Ministry of Health, Malaysia, the Ministry has identified New Zealand as an appropriate nation to provide information on service developments and lessons learnt from an established service. Methodology: Mixed-methods research design was adopted to carry out this study which contained both qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative part involved interviewing fifty five participants who represented the major stakeholders in the SND service, both in Malaysia and New Zealand which comprised people with special needs, caregivers, policy makers, dentists and disability support group representatives. The qualitative data were analysed using applied grounded theory. The dominant themes identified were used to formulate the survey questionnaire for the quantitative part in which 345 paper questionnaires were posted. A response rate of 17.0% was calculated from the original surveys returned. Results: The data suggested inadequate home and professional dental care for people with special needs which underline the necessity to develop the SND service in Malaysia. Transportation difficulties, lack of awareness about the importance of dental care, negative attitude, the difficulties in finding an accompanying person for the dental visit as well as an extended time required by the dentist to treat people with special needs (PSN) were identified as barriers to access dental care facilities. In addition, inadequate knowledge and experience of the local dentists could be one of the contributing factors for their unwillingness to provide the service. The results also suggested that patients who required general anaesthesia for dental treatment, those with complex medical problems and uncooperative patients should be treated under the specialist care. This would be more appropriately provided in the hospital environment than in the community setting. Even though it was suggested that a domiciliary service was necessary, this practically depended on the achievement of the adequate number of specialists in this field and the existence of a well established service and network. Nevertheless, it appeared that the Ministry of Health Malaysia is well prepared to face the challenges in the development of the SND service in Malaysia. Conclusions: There were definitely some issues regarding dental health care of people with special needs which had to be considered and could be managed by the Ministry of Health in the future development of the service. Oral health promotion covering areas such as building public health policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills or reorientating health service in the pursuit of oral health goals would help to strengthen the service in the near future

Evaluating the knowledge, awareness and exposure of Malaysian dentists in conscious sedation for dentistry in relation to their current practice and future expectations

Introduction: Conscious sedation (CS) in dentistry becoming more popular in Malaysia nowadays. However, the knowledge, exposure and practice of CS in dental setting has rarely been explored. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge awareness and exposure of Malaysian dentists about CS for dentistry and their association with sociodemographic profile. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire (Qualtrics@ Software) was conducted among Malaysian registered dentists. Questions on sociodemographic profile, knowledge, awareness, exposure and practice on CS were collected. Chi square test was used to analyse the associated factors for knowledge, exposure and practice. Results: A total of 166 responses received, resulting in response rate of 43.1%. Majority agreed that CS is beneficial in allaying dental anxiety and knows at least 3 types of CS. More than half had been exposed in inhalation sedation (IS) with less than half had CS exposure during undergraduate (UG). However, only a quarter practicing CS in their dental practice. Discussion: Malaysian dentists were familiar with the indications of CS in dentistry which corroborates with other studies. Meanwhile, the exposure to CS during undergraduate study were dependant on the availability and the program structure. Conclusions: Majority of respondents know, but only some are practicing oral and inhalation sedation. Only a few of respondents know about other types of CS. Thus, there is a need for more exposure and training of CS during undergraduate to cater the need of patients with dental anxiety

Abstracts of the International Halal Science Conference 2023

This book presents the extended abstracts of the selected contributions to the International Halal Science Conference, held on 22-23 August 2023 by the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Malaysia in collaboration with Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, University Islam Sultan Sharif (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam. With the increasing global interest in halal products and services, this conference is timely. Conference Title:  International Halal Science ConferenceConference Acronym: IHASC23Conference Theme: Halal Industry Sustainability Through ScienceConference Date: 22-23 August 2023Conference Venue: International Islamic University (IIUM), MalaysiaConference Organizer: International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysi