This study aimed to investigate the association between oral disease burden and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) among overweight/obese (OW/OB) and normal weight (NW) Malaysian adolescents. A total of 397 adolescents were involved in the two-year prospective observational cohort study. OHRQOL was measured through a self-administered questionnaire containing the short version of the Malaysian Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP[M]). Body mass index (BMI) was used for anthropometric measurement. Whilst, decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index, Significant Caries Index (SiC), simplified basic periodontal examination (S-BPE), and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were used for clinical assessment tools. Higher dental caries prevalence was observed in the NW group while higher SiC was reported in the OW/OB group. Regardless of the obesity status, the prevalence of gingivitis (BPE code 1 and 2) was high in this study. A reduction of GBI prevalence was observed in the two-year follow-up results with an increased prevalence of OHRQoL impact in the OW/OB group compared to the NW group (p > 0.05). The findings from this study suggested that obesity status did not have influence over the burden of oral diseases and OHRQoL. It offers insights referring to the changes in adolescents’ oral diseases burden and OHRQoL.

Paediatric oral health research in Malaysia is governed by international ethical frameworks and national regulatory requirements. While reporting of ethics

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) dysregulation. This study examined the relationship between salivary aldosterone and OSA severity, identified predictors of salivary aldosterone, evaluated the moderating role of mean arterial pressure (MAP), and compared the diagnostic performance of salivary aldosterone with the STOP-BANG questionnaire. This cross-sectional study included 67 adults grouped as healthy or mild OSA (apnea–hypopnea index [AHI] < 15; n = 34) versus moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15; n = 33). Morning salivary aldosterone was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Generalized linear models assessed independent predictors, MAP moderation was tested using PROCESS Model 1, and diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Salivary aldosterone did not differ between OSA severity groups and showed poor diagnostic performance. Age was negatively associated with aldosterone levels, while MAP moderated the relationship between AHI and salivary aldosterone. In contrast, the STOP-BANG questionnaire demonstrated acceptable discriminative ability and significantly higher specificity. Salivary aldosterone is not a reliable standalone OSA screening biomarker. However, MAP moderated the OSA–aldosterone relationship, suggesting potential utility in OSA patients with elevated MAP. Age independently predicted lower aldosterone, likely reflecting age-related RAAS decline. These findings support selective utility of salivary aldosterone in OSA patients with elevated blood pressure.

Background: Paediatric oral health research in Malaysia is governed by international framework alongside national requirements. Reporting of ethics approval and parental consent is well established, but child assent remains inconsistently documented. The frequent classification of dental studies as minimal risk may allow expedited review or consent waivers, raising concerns about transparency. This scoping review therefore aimed to map the reporting of ethics approval, parental consent and child assent in Malaysia paediatric oral health research published between 2001 and 2025, with a particular focus on describing current practices and documenting how assent procedures are reported in the absence of mandated requirements. Methods: This review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation guideline. An electronic search of five databases: Pubmed, Web of Science (WOS), SCOPUS, MyJurnal and the National Medical Research Registry (NMRR) was performed. Eligible studies included empirical research involving children aged 0–17 years in Malaysia. Data extraction focused on ethical approval, parental consent, and child assent. The transparency of assent reporting was assessed using a structured three-point framework informed by MREC guidelines for children aged 7–17 years. Results: A total of 72 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 88.9% (n = 64) reported ethics committee approval and 93.1% (n = 67) documented parental consent, whereas child assent appeared in only 6.9% (n = 5). Reporting of ethics approval and parental consent increased substantially, rising from below 50% in 2001–2005 to above 95% after 2015. Child assent was not reported until 2021–2025, appearing in 17.9% of studies during this period. Of the five studies reporting assent, three used written forms, two relied on implied assent, and only one provided a detailed procedure aligned with ethical standards. Conclusions: Ethical committee approval and parental consent are now routinely reported in Malaysian paediatric oral health research, demonstrating broad compliance with international and national frameworks. However, documentation of child assent remains limited and often lacks procedural detail. Strengthening ethical transparency requires standardised, age-appropriate assent procedures and consistent editorial requirements. Improving reporting practices will enhance the protection of children’s developing autonomy, reinforce responsible conduct of research, and promote greater trust in paediatric oral health research.