INSIGHTS @ MAHSA

  Insights and Innovations from Industry Leaders-  Happening Bimonthly, Every Thursday On January 9 th , 2025, MAHSA University hosted the first of a new industry networking seminar series, “Urban Vision @ HBS," whose aim is to bring together industry experts, policymakers, and leaders to share their invaluable experience and insights with members of academia. This series is moderated by the Academic Affairs Committee of MAHSA University. The theme for this session was "Healthcare Today and Tomorrow," featuring three distinguished speakers: Dr. Nurashikin Ibrahim, Director of the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (NCEMH) under the Ministry of Health Malaysia; Prof. IR Dr. Yus Aniza Yusof, Professor  of Food Material Engineering/Deputy Director, Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM);  and highly respected Dentist and entrepreneur, Dr. Allan Teh. Event Highlights Dr. Nurashikin Ibrahim, Director of the National Centre of Exc...

  We are incredibly proud to celebrate Justin Ng Yi Xuan, the first recipient of the prestigious IDCMR full scholarship. Recently, Justin had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Professional Student Experience at Mahidol University, Thailand. Reflecting on his experience, Justin shared, “It is a great honour to be trained in advanced general dental surgery at the top university dental hospital and a bliss to form meaningful relationships with talented individuals from six other countries. I am deeply grateful to the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department for allowing me, the only undergraduate, to partake in multiple major surgeries. The hospitality and training experience here is second to none, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.”   This remarkable achievement was made possible through the collaboration between Mahidol University and MAHSA University, providing Justin with an unparalleled learning experience. What is the IDCMR Scholarship? The...

The Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) recently extended their congratulations to Dr Tan Bee Hui, who became the first indigenous person to earn the title of Dentist. JAKOA's message was shared on their TikTok page (@jakoamalaysia) based on a post made by the Malaysia Orang Asli Students' Association (PMOA) on their Facebook page. PMOA shared this announcement on their social media on September 30th. Tan Bee Hui A/P Tan Boon Huat is MAHSA University Dental Faculty Alumni who successfully completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery earlier this year. She received her early education at SJK (C) Kuala Rompin and SMK Rompin before continuing her studies at Kolej Mara Banting. It's understood that Tan Bee Hui's interest in education was driven by the dedication of her mother, who frequently taught her and her sibling at home. As a Jakun indigenous person, she believes that education has the power to change her family's destiny and break free from the cycle of pove...

Prof. Dr. Phrabhakaran Nambiar, who is the Head of Oral Biology & Biomedical Sciences Department at the Faculty of Dentistry, MAHSA University was invited by the National Forensic Sciences University, India to give a talk on the past, present and future of Forensic Odontology.  Forensic odontology is the application of dental evidence to both criminal and civil law. This can include identifying sexual abuse; personal identification of the deceased, especially in cases of mass disaster or when facial recognition is inconclusive; or in determining ages of unidentified victims. Prof Phrabha obtained his bachelor and masters in Forensic Odontology at Adelaide University. He was among the first in the country to specialize in both forensic dentistry and maxillofacial radiology. MAHSA is truly proud to have a host of experts serving the best education to its students to master in this field of specialised dentistry. 

Let’s race against cancer! The Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Prof Dr. Rosnah with her staff and students participated in the annual Terry Fox Run Kuala Lumpur on the 18th of December 2022 at Kepong Metropolitan Park Kuala Lumpur. The Terry Fox Run KL has been taking place in Malaysia since 1991, this event is held in memory of the late Terry Fox to keep his dream of a Cancer-Free world alive. The Terry Fox Run Kuala Lumpur welcomed participants of all age, athletic ability or socio-economic standing. This non-competitive, family-oriented fun run event gets its participants either running, jogging, walking, skating or even riding on someone’s shoulders: the race is against cancer. Unlike other fundraising events, the Terry Fox Run has no corporate sponsorship. This is in accordance with Terry Fox’s original wishes of not seeking fame or fortune from his endeavour. During his cross-Canada run, he turned down every endorsement he was offered as he felt that it would detract from h...

Health Promotion is “the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve health”. Oral Health promotion is not directed at any particular disease but intended to strengthen the host through a variety of approaches such as health education, environmental modifications, nutritional interventions, lifestyle and behavioral changes fundamental to general health and wellbeing. Dental caries is still a health problem worldwide, its prevalence and incidence are associated with various factors like age, sex, social status, dietary patterns and oral hygiene habits. The world’s population is currently ageing with the number and proportion of elderly people growing substantially. Between the years of 2000-2005 to 2010-2015 life expectancy at birth rose from 67.2 to 70.8 years. By 2045-2050 it is projected to continue increase to 77 years. This increasing longevity can be majorly attributed to advances in modern medicine and medical technology. As a result, the population of peop...

The 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the South East Asia Association for Dental Education (SEAADE) was held at Sokhalay Angkor Villa Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia between 24th to 26th November 2022. The dental committee from the University of Puthisastra had worked enthusiastically on this anticipated program with the theme “Getting Dental Education Back on Track”. The conference offered a broad scientific program with excellent keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations from various dental disciplines, workshops and various scientific competitions. One that particularly caught my eye was the ‘Student Community Engagement Competition’ that allowed students to showcase an exhibit or demonstration of a prevention or public health project carried out in a community by a group of undergraduate students. With this, I seized the golden opportunity to proudly showcase the on-going, university social responsibility (USR) project organised by the Department of Dental Public Health, together...

Congratulation to our 16 Diploma in Dental Technology students who completed their program last week.  What a proud day! We couldn't be happier for you! Again, congratulations on graduating and Cheers to your next adventure!

November every year, we ask the world to unite to help reduce the burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems and economies everywhere. Its purpose: to empower people with the knowledge, tools and confidence to secure good oral health. In Malaysia we promote mouth cancer awareness month. Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. Population growth and aging are the largest contributors to the increasing total number of cancer cases and the shift in the burden of cancer and other chronic diseases toward economically developing countries. The...

Congratulations to the first batch of ECDSA (Executive Certificate in Dental Surgery Assistant) students on the completion of their course. Kudos to all lecturers and staff from the Faculty of Dentistry for guiding them during the theory and practical sessions on campus. A Dental Surgery Assistant (DSA) is an auxiliary personnel who plays an integral and valued role in the dental healthcare team. He or she will work alongside dental surgeons in providing quality oral healthcare service to patients by assisting a dentist with procedures and necessary patient care. Currently, DSAs in the private sectors do not have formal training as compared to those in the public sector. Therefore, this programme will give the opportunity for students to be skilful both theoretically and in practical aspects. This programme will provide insightful exposure to the fundamentals of dental science and the necessary practical exposure a learner needs in order to perform efficiently and effectively alongside...

In conjunction with Prokhas Health & Well Being at Work Program in 2022, a free Oral Health screening was carried out by the 1 postgraduate Dr. Gayathri and assisted by 9 undergraduates Year 5 DDS students under the supervision of 1 lecturer Assoc. Prof Dr. Santhosh Kotian. It also involved other medical providers in collaboration with Avisena Specialist Hospital, Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur, Bless Healthcare Sdn Bhd, MSU Medical Centre MAHSA Health Sdn Bhd. This was held on the 27th of October at Bukit Damansara. A total of 48 participants were attended to. PMCare organized this OSHE programmme for Prokhas Sdn.Bhd.. Other screening held were as follows: Biometric health screening progra Musculoskeletal screening program Vision screening program Dental screening program Body Composition Analysis screening program Heart Disease screening program Healthy Micro-Ma ORAL HEALTH SCREENING Words by Dr. Anna Rani Kanagarajah Senior Lecturer/Coordinator of Community Programmes Fa...

In conjunction with Boustead Properties' Mini Carnival Programme in 2022 a free Oral Health screening was carried out by our postgraduate D .Ragunath and assisted by 5 undergraduates Year 5 DDS students under the supervision of 1 lecturer Prof Dr.Kiran Singbal. It also involved other medical providers in collaboration with Avisena Specialist Hospital, Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur, Bless Healthcare Sdn Bhd, MSU Medical Centre MAHSA Health Sdn Bhd. PMCare organized this OSHE programmme for Boustead Petroleum Marketing. A total of 55 participants were attended to at this event held on the 19th of October 2022. Other screening held were as follows: Biometric health screening program Musculoskeletal screening program  Vision screening program Dental screening program Body Composition Analysis screening program Heart Disease screening program Healthy Micro-Ma ORAL HEALTH SCREENING Words by: Dr. Anna Rani Kanagarajah Senior Lecturer/Coordinator of Community Programmes Family De...

The Oral Pathology & Oral Medicine discipline has successfully conducted a workshop on Early Detection of Oral Cancer (OralDETECT 2022). OralDetect is a training and calibration programme developed and copyrighted by our Dean when she was Head of Oral Cancer Research & Coordinating Centre (OCRCC), Faculty of Dentistry, UM. This is an efficient and effective competency tool for the early detection of oral premalignant disorders and oral cancer. The OralDETECT has been used to train undergraduate students and dental officers in dental schools, MOH, and has also been introduced to other institutions in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal. This training package had been fully described and published in the Journal of Cancer Education (Zain et al 2020) Zain, Rosnah , Deepak Gowda Sadashivappa Pateel, Anand Ramanathan, Thomas George Kallarakkal, Gou Rean Wong, Yi Hsin Yang, Zuraiza Mohamad Zaini, Norliwati Ibrahim, Shivani Kohli, and Callum Durward. "Effectiveness of “OralDETECT”: a r...

The Dental Public Health Department of the Faculty of Dentistry has organized several outreach programs each year for the undergraduates and postgraduates as part of their curriculum. Oral health is equally important as overall health. Oral diseases, such as untreated caries, severe periodontitis, and severe tooth loss, were listed among the top 100 Global Burden Diseases in 2010. The clinical aspects of oral health have been thoroughly investigated in epidemiological surveys. However, less is known about the impacts of oral health on quality of life. Recent results reveal that poor oral health may limit daily activities and loss of work due to oral disease has been documented. Lion’s club first began in 1917. The clubs are places where individuals join together to give their valuable time and effort to improving their communities, and the world. Their mission is to empower Lions clubs, volunteers, and partners to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities, and support tho...

Geriatric dentistry and Special Needs dentistry is about the delivery of dental care to older adults and special children involving diagnosis, prevention, management and treatment of problems associated with age related diseases .The mouth is referred to as a mirror of overall health, reinforcing that oral health is an integral part of general health. In the elderly population and Special needs children poor oral health has been considered a risk factor for general health problems. Older adults are more susceptible to oral conditions or diseases due to an increase in chronic conditions and physical/mental disabilities. Provision of oral health care at the door step for the Elderly and Special Needs should be our priority in Oral Health promotion. The aim of this ORAL SCREENING PROGRAM with a private Esthetic company is to create oral health awareness and promote oral health among the elderly. This is an outreach programme carried out by the year 5 undergraduates and 2 postgraduates...

  Soft skills comprise of an array of personal attributes such as communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, leadership and professionalism. Soft skills in dentistry complements the hard skills which encompasses the knowledge and technical skills which are the occupational requirements of a dentist. Soft skills will enhance a dentist’s interactions, job performance and career prospects.   Provision of quality dental care is not only about treating oral diseases and improving oral health but to be responsive to patients’ needs and wishes which is turn is greatly dependent on the dentist’s personal attributes. It is not surprising that investigations on factors affecting patient satisfaction have shown that when it comes to dentist characteristics, patients tend to rank dentist-patient interaction as of utmost importance. [1] Soft skills play a vital role for professional development and is increasingly being sought after by employers in addition to st...

  In conjunction with the MBSB BANK BLOOD DONATION DRIVE & WELLNESS DAY PROGRAM 2022 a basic Oral Health screening was carried out by the postgraduates and Year 5 Dentistry students under the supervision of the Dental Public Health lecturers held at  Menara MBSB Bank, PJ Sentral on the 8th of September, 2022.   The event involved health and medical partners such as Avisena Specialist Hospital,  Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur, Bless Healthcare Sdn .Bhd, MSU Medical Centre, and MAHSA  Health Sdn. Bhd. A total of 105 patients were examined.