By Eng Ken Li
From March to May 2025, a group of 12 dental students from the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, along with their supervisors – Prof. Dr. Zamros Yuzadi Bin Mohd Yusof, Dr Najihah Binti Lokman, and Associate Prof. Dr. Maryani Binti Mohamed Rohani, conducted a community service and oral health promotion programme under SULAM – Service Learning Malaysia for individuals with special needs at the Soserv Welfare Centre, located in Section 18, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
The programme, entitled ‘FLOSS – Facilitating Love for Special Smiles’ aimed to improve oral health among individuals with disabilities through five main objectives. First, to build healthy public policy by supporting the integration of specialised oral health services into existing healthcare policies. The programme also sought to create a supportive environment by modifying the facilities at the Soserv Welfare to encourage better oral hygiene practices.
To strengthen community action, the programme raised financial support and sponsorship for special oral hygiene kits and increased public awareness of the oral health challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. Additionally, it focused on developing personal skills by training both caregivers and residents in proper oral hygiene techniques. Finally, the programme aimed to reorient health services by integrating oral health into the residents’ overall care plans through collaboration with healthcare providers.
The Soserv Welfare Centre is an organisation that supports abandoned and marginalised children and adults with disabilities. It provides comprehensive assistance, including child-rearing, medical care, education, and employment opportunities. The centre also actively engages the public via Instagram to raise funds for its initiatives. Among the many welfare centres serving people with disabilities, Soserv Welfare was chosen due to its residents’ and caregivers’ limited access to routine dental check-ups, placing them at a disadvantage in terms of oral health.
Several companies supported this programme, including Drs Wong & Partners, Aquapick, and GrowIn Sprouts. These companies contributed funding and oral care items, such as special two-headed toothbrushes and water flossers. Their contributions made a significant difference in enhancing the daily oral hygiene practices and improving the quality of life for both the residents and caregivers at the centre.
During this SULAM project, dental plaque scores were recorded to assess the oral hygiene levels of the residents and caregivers. Additional data on diet, oral hygiene habits, and oral health knowledge were collected through questionnaires. The centre’s surrounding environment was also observed to determine its conduciveness for supporting patients’ oral care. Training sessions were conducted to teach proper tooth-brushing techniques to caregivers and the residents under their care. Tooth models were used to teach about good tooth-brushing technique, providing hands-on experience and ample practice for the participants. Oral health talks, workshops, and games were also held to educate caregivers on healthy diets, good oral hygiene habits, and the importance of oral health in daily life.
In the evaluation phase, the results showed a measurable 21.31% reduction in the mean plaque scores of the residents and a 15.4% increase in oral health knowledge and awareness among the caregivers. According to the feedback, a 35-year-old worker named Rina shared that the programme empowered her to take better care of her oral health and that she now understands the causes of dental caries and bleeding gums. Nur Arrissa Aqilla Binti Shahriman, a dental student who led the programme, mentioned that the initiative not only benefited the residents and caregivers but also herself, as it provided valuable community experience and helped her develop greater empathy for those in need.
We hope that the residents and caregivers at the centre have truly benefited from this programme and that sustainable oral care practices will continue to be implemented. This SULAM programme serves as a stepping stone toward transforming oral healthcare across the nation, particularly, though not exclusively, for people with disabilities—one small step at a time.