March 2013

Volume 30, Issue 1

Attitudes towards the use of fluorides for oral health among Islamic clerics in Kelantan Province, Malaysia

Authors: Y. Nazita N. Jaafar J.G. Doss M.M.A. Rahman
doi: 10.1922/CDH_2909Nazita04

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Imams (Islamic clerics) concerning fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water to improve oral health in Kelantan. Basic research design: Cross sectional study of Imams in 65 registered mosques in Pasir Puteh district, Kelantan. Method and participants: Face-to-face interview, using structured questionnaire and some open ended questions. Results: Most of the 83 interviewees (82% participation rate) were unsure whether their toothpaste contained fluoride (64%), only 25% were sure. More than one-third (37%) were using fluoridated piped water. Most (87%) had little knowledge of fluorides and more than two-thirds (69%) had lacked positive attitudes towards its use. Television (54%) was the most common source of information about fluorides, followed by newspapers (9%). The main reasons given among the few who opposed fluoride use were i) fear of dangerous side effects (4%) and ii) uncertainty about the halal status of fluoride (2%), Attitudes were not associated with the use of fluoridated water supply (p=0.999), age (p=0.103), income (p=0.540) and location (p=0.999). Conclusion: Over two-thirds of Imams had little knowledge of and lacked positive attitudes towards fluoride use in toothpaste and piped water supplies. Key words: Attitude, fluorides, fluoridation, toothpastes, Muslims

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Editorial - The British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry at forty: our professional project 2-4 Download
Acknowledgement of Referees 5-5 Download
Dental Public Health in Action - Challenges encountered when conducting a dental health needs assessment of older people resident in care homes: experience from England 6-9 Download
Rare diseases with oral components: care course and quality of life 10-14 Download
Fluoridation and dental caries severity in young children treated under general anaesthesia: an analysis of treatment records in a 10-year case series 15-18 Download
Measuring determinants of oral health behaviour in parents of preschool children 19-25 Download
The self-reported oral health status and dental attendance of smokers and non-smokers 26-29 Download
Attitudes towards the use of fluorides for oral health among Islamic clerics in Kelantan Province, Malaysia 30-33 Download
The views of examiners on the use of intra-oral photographs to detect dental caries in epidemiological studies 34-38 Download
Caries experience and treatment need in adults with intellectual disabilities in two German regions 39-44 Download
Attitudes towards establishing a daily supervised school-based toothbrushing programme - determined by Q-sort methodology 45-51 Download
Oral health literacy comparisons between Indigenous Australians and American Indians 52-57 Download
Associations between oral health and height in an Indigenous Australian birth cohort 58-64 Download

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