Aims:To evaluate the self-perceived preparedness of final-year dental undergraduate students in dental public universities in Malaysia. Methods:Final-year dental undergraduate students from six dental public universities in Malaysia were invited to participate in an online study using a validated DentalUndergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale DU-PAS. Results:In total, about 245 students responded to the online questionnaire yielding a response rate of 83.05%. The age range of the respondents was 23-29 years with a mean age of 24.36 (SD 0.797). The total score obtained by the respondents was ranged from 48 to 100 with a mean score of 79.56 (SD 13.495). Weaknesses were reported in several clinical skills, cognitive and behavioural attributes.

Though sex education (SE) may benefit the sexual development and overall well-being of children with intellectual disabilities (IDs), obstacles to its implementation remain. This study highlights barriers and concerns of SE for children with IDs based on their mothers’ experiences. We employed a phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews with twenty Malay mothers of children with mild-to-moderate IDs or/and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Four primary hurdles to SE were discovered: (1) mother (2) children (3) family value, and (4) socio-cultural environment. Inadequate knowledge, mothers’ perceptions that SE is less necessary at this stage of their children’s development, and time constraints were among their main barriers. Another source of hardship was the communication barrier because children with ID have cognitive impairment in their capacity to understand the topic being addressed and more time should be spent throughout the discussion. Family value and socio-cultural elements also had an impact on mothers’ intention to deliver SE to their children. Our findings suggest that mothers recognize the importance of SE for their children’s well-being. However, the dynamic interaction between the barriers complicates SE. This study emphasizes the necessity for future interventions to overcome hurdles at each level to effectively implement the recommended strategies.

Living with morbid obesity is challenging since it affects various dimensions of life. Sustainable weight loss via bariatric surgery helps people suffering from morbid obesity to lead a healthy and meaningful life. This study highlights the challenges before bariatric surgery and the impact on one’s life. A phenomenological approach was employed using in-depth interviews with 21 participants (15 females and 6 males) who had undergone surgery at least 6 months prior to the study with the mean age of 42.6 years. Due to excess body weight, the physical limitation had a serious negative impact on their social life, making them targets of bias and stigmatisation. Surgery was the best option for them to attain sustainable weight loss and to lead a new life. However, a few participants struggled with the side effects of surgery. Five themes were discovered, namely, (1) social restraint; (2) experiencing bias and stigmatisation; (3) bringing new life; (4) boosting self-esteem; and (5) facing the negative side of surgery. This study serves as a platform to explore the difficulties faced by people with morbid obesity and the changes that the participants experienced after the surgery for future intervention to curb the rising number of people with morbid obesity.

Background: Statins are a class of potent drugs that can be used to reduce cholesterol, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). However, their effectiveness is limited if adherence to treatment is poor. The objectives of the study are to estimate the proportion of diabetic patient who has achieved LDL-C goal and to determine the association of LDL-C achievement with socio demographic factors and statin therapy adherence Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 234 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and dyslipidaemia attending an outpatient clinic in a hospital in Kelantan. Interviews and self-administered questionnaires were used to determine their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Adherence to therapy was assessed using the Medication Compliance Questionnaire (MCQ). The associations between the achievement of LDL targets and sociodemographic/clinical factors, including adherence, were analysed with simple logistic regression.Results: About 37.6% of patients achieved their LDL-C target. The percentage of patients who adhered to statin use was 98.3%, and 20.5% of these patients reported full adherence. There was no significant association between achievement of LDL-C targets with adherence or any other sociodemographic factors, such as age, gender and educational or economic status (all P-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Despite a high level of adherence, the majority of patients failed to achieve LDL-C targets. More concerted efforts are needed to improve this.

Sex education (SE) is still a controversial and sensitive topic in Malaysia. Thus, individuals with intellectual disability receive less information about SE formally as Malaysian culture believes that students with disabilities should be shielded from everything connected to sexuality owing to their paucity of maturity and intellectual comprehension of the topic. Due to that reason, non-formal education by the parent is very important to fill that needful gap. This study aimed to explore the experience of mothers on the meanings of sexuality, and implementing sex education for their children with ID. We adopted a phenomenological framework and social cognitive theory to increase understanding of the phenomenon and conducted it using in-depth interviews. Twenty mothers with children aged 10–19 who were diagnosed with mild to moderate ID and/or other cognitive disabilities were involved. Almost all mothers acknowledged the influence of socio-cultural factors and religion on meanings of sexuality and practicing SE. They realized their children’s emerging sexual behavior as they go through the adolescence period. However, how they confronted sexuality and sex education with their vulnerable children was different. Three themes emerged: (1) Sexuality as an erotic experience in life, which enlightens mothers’ views on sexuality, relying mainly on sexual intimacy and sexual being; (2) Perceived their children’s sexual maturity is different, which reflects the mothers’ attitude toward their children’s sexual development; (3) Caution/hesitance in providing sexuality education, which summarizes mothers’ ways of delivering SE, either following physicality or through sociocultural ways. Our findings exemplify the need for strategies to increase parents’ understanding and awareness regarding sexuality and appropriate delivery of SE. To ensure its success, it should be a shared responsibility among all relevant stakeholders.

Kratom dependence among adolescent, even though underreported, is increasing in prevalence in Southeast Asia. Kratom can be simply misused with a great possible addiction and subsequently cause serious undesirable physical and mental health consequences, which is not something to be taken lightly. We present three case series of late adolescents who consumed kratom for more than six months, which leads to poor school performance and had already developed withdrawal symptoms. This case series illustrates the effectiveness of treating adolescents with kratom dependency using combination of medical therapy - Methadone as Drug Substitution Therapy (DST) and supportive therapy from their family members. Therefore, it is crucial for primary care practitioners to screen the adolescents and alert the withdrawal symptoms as well as initiating early discussion with psychiatrist in order to start the prompt treatment since DST is available in primary care clinic. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(3) 2021 p.673-677

Mental illness is a psychological impairment involving emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. Dental students may encounter patients with underlying psychological problems during their training. Objective: To evaluate dental students’ perception, attitude, and willingness to interact with patients with mental illness. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted involving undergraduates at three dental institutions in Malaysia using an online self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis was conducted and statistical analysis using chi-square test was done for associations (p < 0.05). Results: The response rate was 63% (225); the majority of respondents were female (77.8%) and of Malay ethnicity (88.4%). Our study found that positive attitudes are independent of respondents’ sociodemographic profiles. No significant differences in attitudes were portrayed by gender, race, or history of mental illness. Our findings suggest that respondents’ place of study, gender, and previous encounter with mental illness are associated with willingness to interact with patients (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Dental students displayed positive attitudes and willingness to interact with patients with mental illness. However, to further improve students’ attitudes and enhance their readiness to interact with patients with mental illness, more mental health-related educational programs should be introduced in the dental curricula.

This case illustrates the rare cause of failure to thrive (FTT) that initially presented with recurrent ear discharge. A five-year-old boy with a history of recurrent ear infections for the past year was treated for acute symptoms during each visit. He later was diagnosed with acute mastoiditis secondary to otitis media by a private otorhinolaryngologist and was referred to a tertiary hospital for admission and parenteral antibiotic commencement. The anthropometric evaluation noted he fell under the group of FTT and had an incidental finding of lower tract respiratory infection that turned out to be tuberculosis infection. Multiple complications occurred during his admission, including candidemia, disseminated tuberculosis, and deep-seated collections. Hence, he was worked up for primary immunodeficiency and was given extensive supportive treatment.