Dentition status among an ethnically diverse older urban Malaysian population

Abstract

Background Poor oral health affects not only dietary choices but overall well-being. This study explores the influence of lifestyle, socio-demographics and utilization of dental services on the dentition status of an older urban Malaysian population. Methods A total of 1210 participants 60 years and above, representing the three main ethnic groups were recruited from a larger cohort study. Weighted factors valued for comparison included socio demographics and health status. Knowledge of and attitude and behaviour towards personal oral health were also assessed. Dentition status, adapted from WHO oral health guidelines, was the dependent variable investigated. Data were analysed using descriptive chi square test and multivariate binary logistic regression. Results Overall, 1187 respondents completed the study. The dentition status and oral health related knowledge, attitude and behaviour varied between the three ethnic groups. The Chinese were significantly less likely to have ≥13 missing teeth (OR = 0.698, 95% CI: 0.521–0.937) and ≥1 decayed teeth (0.653; 0.519–0.932) compared to the Malays, while the Indians were significantly less likely than the Malays to have ≥1 decayed teeth (0.695; 0.519–0.932) and ≥2 filled teeth (0.781; 0.540–1.128). Conclusion Ethnic differences in dentition outcome are related to oral health utilization highlighting the influence of cultural differences and the need for culturally sensitivity interventions.

Validation of the Malay Oral Impacts on Daily Performances and Evaluation of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in a Multi-Ethnic Urban Malaysian Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Malays and Chinese also had significantly higher DMFT scores compared with Indians. A previous study reported similar results where Malays and Chinese had more filled teeth compared with Indians [ 37 ]. This may be a reflection of how different ethnicities perceive the importance of oral health care and utilize dental services in Malaysia [ 37 ].…”

“…A previous study reported similar results where Malays and Chinese had more filled teeth compared with Indians [ 37 ]. This may be a reflection of how different ethnicities perceive the importance of oral health care and utilize dental services in Malaysia [ 37 ]. Hence, the null hypothesis that there are no differences in dental health between ethnicities was rejected.…”

Translation and validation of ageism scale for dental students into Malay language

“…Ageism is often expressed through cultural values and social beliefs. These ageist stereotypes may intersect with other discriminatory attitudes which might be culturally driven 29–31 . Thus, cross‐cultural adaptation is crucial when one uses an instrument in a different linguistic and cultural background to minimize the risk of bias 32 .…”

Factors affecting oral and dental services` utilization among Elderly: a scoping review

“…Wu et al (2022) and some other studies showed that the non-white elderly used oral and dental services less often [ 62 – 65 ]. Also, Amanat et al (2020) suggested that tooth decay and tooth loss in the Chinese elderly was less frequent than in the Malay elderly [ 66 ]. Financial problems, racial discrimination, differences in oral and dental health literacy, perception of needs, barriers to access, and dissatisfaction with dental care among elderly people of different races could be the reasons for it [ 63 , 67 ].…”