E-Professionalism among Dental Students from Malaysia and Finland

The increased use of social media in dentistry is associated with both advantages and disadvantages. A new form of professionalism, "e-professionalism," has emerged. It includes an online persona and online information in any format that displays cues to professional identity, attitudes, and behaviors. The objective was to explore the perceptions of Malaysian and Finnish dental students on e-professionalism. A survey of 613 Malaysian and Finnish students was performed. The main variables assessed were posting of objectionable or inappropriate content among students, attitudes towards unprofessional online content, perceived online presence, contacts with patients and faculty members on social media, and concerns about social media use. The prevalence of posting clearly unprofessional content was not high among dental students. Revealing information of patients was most common content of clear unprofessionalism. Students from Malaysia contacted patients and faculty members more actively in social media than students in Finland (73.6% of students in Malaysia and 11.8% in Finland had invited faculty members to be "friends"). Malaysian students were more concerned and more likely to react to inappropriate content on social media. Attitude of dental students towards social media use in dentistry were very positive in both countries. Students agreed that guiding patients online is a new responsibility for dentists in the digital age (86.4% of students in Malaysia and 73.4% in Finland). The findings indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of social media on e-professionalism among students. There is a need to include robust digital professionalism awareness training for students.Peer reviewe

E-Professionalism among Dental Students from Malaysia and Finland

The increased use of social media in dentistry is associated with both advantages and disadvantages. A new form of professionalism, “e-professionalism,” has emerged. It includes an online persona and online information in any format that displays cues to professional identity, attitudes, and behaviors. The objective was to explore the perceptions of Malaysian and Finnish dental students on e-professionalism. A survey of 613 Malaysian and Finnish students was performed. The main variables assessed were posting of objectionable or inappropriate content among students, attitudes towards unprofessional online content, perceived online presence, contacts with patients and faculty members on social media, and concerns about social media use. The prevalence of posting clearly unprofessional content was not high among dental students. Revealing information of patients was most common content of clear unprofessionalism. Students from Malaysia contacted patients and faculty members more actively in social media than students in Finland (73.6% of students in Malaysia and 11.8% in Finland had invited faculty members to be “friends”). Malaysian students were more concerned and more likely to react to inappropriate content on social media. Attitude of dental students towards social media use in dentistry were very positive in both countries. Students agreed that guiding patients online is a new responsibility for dentists in the digital age (86.4% of students in Malaysia and 73.4% in Finland). The findings indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of social media on e-professionalism among students. There is a need to include robust digital professionalism awareness training for students

E-Professionalism among Dental Students from Malaysia and Finland

The increased use of social media in dentistry is associated with both advantages and disadvantages. A new form of professionalism, “e-professionalism,” has emerged. It includes an online persona and online information in any format that displays cues to professional identity, attitudes, and behaviors. The objective was to explore the perceptions of Malaysian and Finnish dental students on e-professionalism. A survey of 613 Malaysian and Finnish students was performed. The main variables assessed were posting of objectionable or inappropriate content among students, attitudes towards unprofessional online content, perceived online presence, contacts with patients and faculty members on social media, and concerns about social media use. The prevalence of posting clearly unprofessional content was not high among dental students. Revealing information of patients was most common content of clear unprofessionalism. Students from Malaysia contacted patients and faculty members more actively in social media than students in Finland (73.6% of students in Malaysia and 11.8% in Finland had invited faculty members to be “friends”). Malaysian students were more concerned and more likely to react to inappropriate content on social media. Attitude of dental students towards social media use in dentistry were very positive in both countries. Students agreed that guiding patients online is a new responsibility for dentists in the digital age (86.4% of students in Malaysia and 73.4% in Finland). The findings indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of social media on e-professionalism among students. There is a need to include robust digital professionalism awareness training for students

Self-Reported Halitosis among Medical, Dental and Health Science Undergraduate Students at the University Sains Malaysia

Svrha: U ovom se istraživanju željelo među dodiplomskim studentima Sveučilišta Sains Malaysia procijeniti broj oboljelih (prevalencija) od samoopažene halitoze i s njom povezanih čimbenika. Ispitanici i postupci: U ovom presječnom istraživanju rabio se upitnik kojim se procjenjivala samoopažena halitoza i s njom povezani čimbenici. Sudjelovalo je 300 studenata dodiplomske nastave, i to po 100 sa studija medicine, dentalne medicine i medicinskih znanosti. Rezultati: Srednja dob studenata bila je 21,7 godina (SD 1, 75), a među njima su bile i 202 (67,3 %) studentice. Kod 13 posto studenata samoopažena halitoza otkrivena je tehnikom ruka na usta te je njih 9,3 posto izjavilo da zadah utječe na njihove socijalne kontakte. Većina studenata (79,7 %) osjetila je neugodan vonj iz usta odmah nakon buđenja. Studenti dentalne medicine rjeđe su prijavljivali halitozu negoli oni medicine i medicinskih znanosti (OR=0,34 ; CI=0,12, 0,95), Studenti koji se redovito koriste vodicom za ispiranje usta i četkaju jezik također su rjeđe opažali halitozu. Prevalencija halitoze bila je veća među studentima s gingivnim krvarenjem i naslagama na jeziku. Zaključak: Halitoza je češća među nedentalnim studentima. Čimbenici povezani s tom tegobom jesu gingivno krvarenje i naslage na jeziku. Redovito korištenje vodica za ispiranje usta i četkanje jezika itekako su korisni u prevenciji halitoze. Studentima se preporučuju profesionalna njega i korištenje sredstava za oralnu higijenu.Objective: To determine the prevalence of self-reported halitosis and its associated factors among undergraduate students at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire, assessing self-reported halitosis and its associated factors, was administered to 300 undergraduate students, 100 per group in the dental, medical and health sciences courses. Results: The mean age of the students was 21.7 years (SD 1.75), and 202 (67.3%) were female. Self-reported halitosis by hand-on-mouth technique was reported by 13.0% of the students, with 9.3% of students reporting that bad breath interfered with their social life. Most students (79.7%) experienced their worst breath after waking up. Dental students were less likely to report halitosis than medical and health sciences students (non-dental students) (OR = 0.34, CI = 0.12, 0.95). Students who used mouthwash regularly and brushed their tongues were also less likely to report halitosis. However, the prevalence of halitosis was higher among students with gingival bleeding and tongue coating than among those without. Conclusion: Halitosis is more common among non-dental than among dental students. Factors associated with halitosis include gingival bleeding and tongue coating. Regular use of mouthwash and tongue brushing were beneficial in preventing halitosis. Professional care and motivation in the use of oral hygiene aids are recommended for students

Social media usage among dental undergraduate students—a comparative study

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Social media use among students has infiltrated into dental education and offers benefits but may also cause problems. The aim of this study was to explore and compare current social media usage among dental undergraduate students from two countries—Malaysia and Finland. A self-administered structured online questionnaire was used. WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat were the services that were most familiar to the respondents from both countries. There were differences between the students from the two countries among the most preferred platforms. The most frequently used applications were WhatsApp (91.1% of students in Malaysia and 96.1% in Finland used it very frequently) and Instagram (74.3% of students in Malaysia and 70.0% in Finland used it very frequently). Students in Malaysia spent significantly more hours per week using the platforms as study tools than students in Finland. Over 80% of the Finnish dental students reported that lack of knowledge was not an issue in social media usage, while 85% of Malaysian students felt that lack of knowledge prevented them from using social media platforms frequently. The findings offer evidence that dental students used social media extensively.Peer reviewe

Effectiveness of T-shaped toothbrush in children: A pilot study

Dental caries and gingivitis are common oral health problems affecting schoolchildren worldwide. Effective tooth brushing in children is fundamental in preventing dental caries and gingivitis and maintaining good oral health. Children routinely present with unsatisfactory oral hygiene due to poor compliance and poor dexterity in tooth brushing. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel T-shaped toothbrush in plaque removal and gingival health among children and to obtain feedback regarding its use. Nineteen participants aged 8-10 years who fulfilled the criteria enrolled in this study. The children were taught the proper technique of using the new toothbrush and instructed to use it for a period of 2 weeks. The plaque scores and gingival scores were measured at baseline and after 2 weeks. They were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the use of the toothbrush after 2 weeks. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction in mean (SD) plaque scores from baseline 1.96 (0.85) to 1.51 (0.75), after 2 weeks. Similarly, mean (SD) gingival scores reduced significantly from 0.20 (0.11) to 0.13 (0.08) over the two-week period. Overall, majority of participants (68% to 89%) gave positive feedback in all aspects regarding the use of T-shaped toothbrush, although 63.2% of them reported having difficulties to handle the T-shaped toothbrush initially. The T-shaped toothbrush can effectively improve oral hygiene in children with acceptable plaque removal and adequate gingival health in children

Malaysian undergraduates' knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health

Aim in Malaysia, Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was found to affect 76.2% of 5-year-olds (2005). General practitioners are more likely to encounter preschool children and are in a better position to educate parents and caretakers about ECC and make appropriate referrals. This study assessed the knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health among medical and dental undergraduates. Methods This cross sectional study involved 245 students enrolled in the first year medical (M1) and dental (D1) course and fourth year medical (M4) and dental (D4) course. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire which included knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health. Comparisons between the groups were done using chi-square test. results Dental students showed significantly better knowledge than medical students. D1 students showed significantly better knowledge of age of first tooth eruption over M1. Knowledge of recommended age for bottle weaning was higher among D4 students but not significantly more than M4 students. conclusion The majority of medical students showed inadequate knowledge indicating that medical curriculum should emphasise on oral health topics of public health relevance like ECC and its prevention. Dental students had better knowledge regarding early childhood oral health, but lacked knowledge on its preventive aspects

Malaysian undergraduates' knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health

Aim in Malaysia, Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was found to affect 76.2% of 5-year-olds (2005). General practitioners are more likely to encounter preschool children and are in a better position to educate parents and caretakers about ECC and make appropriate referrals. This study assessed the knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health among medical and dental undergraduates. Methods This cross sectional study involved 245 students enrolled in the first year medical (M1) and dental (D1) course and fourth year medical (M4) and dental (D4) course. The students completed a self-administered questionnaire which included knowledge and opinions on early childhood oral health. Comparisons between the groups were done using chi-square test. results Dental students showed significantly better knowledge than medical students. D1 students showed significantly better knowledge of age of first tooth eruption over M1. Knowledge of recommended age for bottle weaning was higher among D4 students but not significantly more than M4 students. conclusion The majority of medical students showed inadequate knowledge indicating that medical curriculum should emphasise on oral health topics of public health relevance like ECC and its prevention. Dental students had better knowledge regarding early childhood oral health, but lacked knowledge on its preventive aspects

Malaysian dentists’ self-reported experience towards continuing clinical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study assessed the self-reported symptoms/signs and precautionary measures towards continuing clinical practice during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among Malaysian dentists. An online questionnaire was administered using Google Form distributed via social networks, email lists and social media pages to Malaysian dentists in both private and government sectors. Respondents were required to report their clinical activity during the three phases of the various Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the Malaysian government: namely the MCO, Conditional-MCO and the Recovery-MCO. Data was analysed with SPSS using descriptive and Chi-square tests. A total of 1548 dentists completed the survey. Five dentists reported being tested positive for COVID-19 test while 48 had one/more symptoms related to the disease. The majority perceived a real risk of COVID-19 transmission to dentists and more than 80% limited their clinical services to emergency/selective care during the MCO and C-MCO. About 17% of the dentists suspended face-to-face clinical activities during the MCO period but this figure dropped to 3.4% during the R-MCO. Clinical activities were limited mainly due to closure of workplaces (88.6%). Precautionary measures adopted at dental clinics included recording body temperature (54.2%), physical distancing in waiting rooms (84.6%) and hand washing prior to and after dental procedures (77.5%). The findings demonstrate that most dentists limited their clinical services during the MCO and resumed work once restrictions were lifted during the C-MCO and R-MCO. Many reported adopting appropriate precautionary measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19