Aims. This study aimed to determine the patterns of chewing and swallowing in healthy subjects with different food textures. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 75 subjects who were asked to video record themselves while chewing different food samples of varying textures, including sweet and salty food. The food samples were coco jelly, gummy jelly, biscuit, potato crisp, and roasted nuts. A texture profile analysis test was used to measure the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the food samples. Chewing patterns were investigated by measuring the chewing cycle prior to the first swallow (CS1), the chewing cycle until the last swallow (CS2), and the accumulation of chewing time from the first chewing to the last swallowing (STi). Swallowing patterns were evaluated by calculating the swallowing threshold, which is the chewing time/duration prior to the first swallow (STh). The number of swallows for each food sample was also recorded. Results. There was a statistically significant difference in the CS2 of potato crisps, as well as the STi of coco jelly, gummy jelly, and biscuits between male and female subjects. A significant positive correlation was found between hardness and STh. There was a significant negative correlation between gumminess and all chewing and swallowing parameters, as well as chewiness and CS1. This study also found s significant positive correlation between dental pain, CS1, CS2, and STh of gummy jelly, as well as dental pain and CS1 of biscuits. Conclusions. Females require longer chewing time for harder foods. Food hardness is positively related to the chewing duration prior to the first swallow (swallowing threshold/STh). Food chewiness has a negative correlation with the chewing cycle prior to the first swallow (CS1). Food gumminess is inversely related to all the chewing and swallowing parameters. Dental pain is associated with an increased chewing cycle and swallowing time of hard foods.

Objectives: To observe the age at primary cleft surgery among charity organizations such as Smile Train in helping Indonesia manage patients with OFC.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records was conducted to identify patients with orofacial clefts who underwent primary surgery between 2001 and 2021. The age at the time of surgery was recorded for each patient. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data and determine the average age at primary surgery.Results: In the period between 2001 and 2021, a total of 34 239 individuals in Indonesia underwent primary lip surgery, while 16 768 individuals received primary palatal surgery, as recorded in the Smile Train database. Notably, a significant proportion of these surgeries were classified as delayed primary repairs. Approximately 65.3% of primary lip surgeries were performed beyond the recommended timeline of 6 months of age, indicating a delay in the surgical intervention. Similarly, 67% of primary palatal surgeries were also delayed, occurring after the recommended timeline of 18 months of life.Conclusions: This study provides insights into the age at primary surgery among individuals with orofacial clefts in Indonesia. The findings highlight the need for timely intervention and the importance of considering individualized treatment plans based on the specific type of orofacial cleft. Further research is warranted to explore factors influencing the age at primary surgery and their impact on treatment outcomes and long‐term functional outcomes in this population.

Indonesia is a country with a fairly high prevalence of children with congenital disorders (59.3 per 1000 live births) compared to other countries in Southeast Asia [1]. Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) or orofacial cleft ranked second in the sentinel survey of congenital anomalies conducted between September 2014 and March 2018 in 28 hospitals of […]

Introduction. Smoking is a bad habit that affects both systemic and oral conditions. Nicotine in cigarettes reduces estrogen production that can alter salivary calcium levels. Nicotine also causes vasoconstriction of the gingival blood vessels and decreases gingival bleeding. Low dietary calcium intake is also suspected to influence the low serum calcium levels in smokers. In this study, we evaluated the effect of smoking on salivary calcium levels, calcium intake, and BOP in women. Method. This was an analytical study using a cross-sectional approach. The subjects were 26 female smokers and 37 nonsmokers. Unstimulated saliva was collected by the spitting method. Salivary calcium levels were measured using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The calcium intake was obtained by the Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. BOP was measured by a gingival bleeding index by Ainamo and Bay in 1975. Results. All the basic characteristics including age, BMI, level of education, and occupation were statistically different between groups. The mean calcium level of female smokers was significantly lower than that of nonsmokers, whereas the mean BOP of female smokers was significantly higher. The total calcium intake per day of the two groups was not statistically different. The mean salivary calcium level and BOP decreased when the duration of smoking was longer. There was a positive correlation between salivary calcium level and BOP in the smokers group. Conclusion. A low level of education may be contributing to the smoking habit of subjects in this study. Salivary calcium levels were correlated with BOP in female smokers, which might be affected by the duration of smoking.

Cigarette smoking can cause taste receptors to increase the taste threshold value. Consequently, the consumption of sugar and salt will not be controlled, therefore causing systemic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Nicotine and tobacco in cigarettes can stimulate MMP-9 which plays vital physiological roles in normal tissue growth and repair processes. This study aimed to find the correlation between taste threshold sensitivity and MMP-9, salivary secretion, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels in smoking and nonsmoking women. This was a cross-sectional study consisting of young adult women aged 18–24 years. Subjects were divided into two groups: the nonsmoking and smoking groups. In the combined data of both groups, the sweet taste threshold was correlated with age (r = 0.308, p=0.008), blood glucose levels (r = 0.238, p=0.043), and MMP-9 (r = –0.297, p=0.011). The salt taste threshold was only correlated with systolic blood pressure in the smoking (r = 0.440, p=0.032) and combined data groups (r = 0.260, p=0.026). By using partial correlation, it was shown that the relationship between the salt taste threshold and systolic blood pressure was influenced by smoking habits. The sweet taste threshold in women was found to correlate with age, blood glucose levels, and MMP-9 levels. On the other hand, there was a significant relationship between the salt taste threshold in women with systolic blood pressure, which was the only correlation analyzed in sthis study that was found to be influenced by smoking. However, both sweet and salt taste thresholds were not statistically correlated with salivary secretion.

Background: Educating and raising awareness in cleft lip and palate future generations is one vital effort to ensure the improvement of cleft care and research in the future. This study reported the overview in organising and evaluating the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Cleft Lip and Palate as the alternative way for students’ capacity building outside their study program whilst also earning credits towards their studies. Methods: Smile Train cleft charity generously donated recorded lectures from cleft experts around the world in which each of the experts agreed to provide one-hour live discussion sessions. The learning activities ranging from lectures, pre- and post-course evaluation, forum, live discussion sessions, virtual visits to Indonesian Cleft Centre, self-reflection assignments and final project. A survey was released to the participants to collect their feedback. Results: The course mainly attracted dental students, and several allied health professional students. In total, 414 out of 717 participants registered for this MOOC managed to finish the course and received a certificate of completion which was run between August–October 2021. In general, participants positively received the course. Conclusions: The MOOC model and its objective of disseminating widespread information across geographical boundaries to enhance learning about cleft lip and palate treatment was achieved. This report serves as an example for other educational institutions and stakeholders who plan to use online educational engagement platforms to provide high-quality education and capacity building to participants in lower-middle income countries.