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☐ ☆ ✇ BMJ Open

Scoping review protocol on oral health research in Malaysia

Por: Kueh · B.-L. · Chong · A. S. L. · Zainal · M. R. · Lai · W.-H. · Subramaniam · S. · Sathasivam · H. P. · Yugaraj · P. · Muhamad · N. A. — Octubre 30th 2025 at 04:18
Introduction

Oral health research provides evidence for policy and practice, yet no study has comprehensively mapped the scope of oral health research in Malaysia. The COVID-19 pandemic has also created a great impact on oral healthcare in Malaysia, including the dental care delivery. Additionally, there is a notable lack of research focusing on oral health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this scoping review will aim to map the landscape of oral health research conducted in Malaysia and identify key topics, study designs, populations studied and gaps in the literature, in order to inform future research priorities and policy, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era.

Methods and analysis

The methodology draws on Arksey and O’Malleys’ seminal framework for the scoping review and will be reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. We will search five major electronic databases—PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Cochrane and Web of Science—as well as selected grey literature sources (eg, theses, dissertations and conference proceedings) for studies published in English from January 2014 to December 2024. Studies of any design related to oral health in Malaysia will be included. Two reviewers will be performing title and abstract screening, in which they will be working independently. The included publication will undergo a full-text review, and references cited in these studies will be examined following the inclusion criteria. The PRISMA-ScR flow diagram will be used as a guide throughout the process. Data will be extracted, analysed and charted according to key categories identified in the included publications. A narrative synthesis and descriptive statistics will be presented.

Ethics and dissemination

The results of this scoping review will illustrate an overview and provide a better understanding regarding the oral health research in the Malaysian context; whether research has already been conducted, is currently ongoing and is still needed; and which areas should be prioritised for future investigation. As this review will use publicly available literature, formal ethics approval will not be required. The findings will be submitted for publication in an open-access peer-reviewed journal, presented at national and regional conferences and shared with Malaysian dental professional bodies and relevant stakeholders.

Trial registration number

The protocol of this scoping review is registered with the Open Science Framework and is available at osf.io/hjq6m.

☐ ☆ ✇ BMJ Open

Early warning and stratification of the elderly cardiopulmonary dysfunction-related diseases: multicentre prospective study protocol

Por: Zhou · X. · Jin · Q. · Xia · Y. · Guan · Y. · Zhang · Z. · Guo · Z. · Liu · Z. · Li · C. · Bai · Y. · Hou · Y. · Zhou · M. · Liao · W.-H. · Lin · H. · Wang · P. · Liu · S. · Fan · L. — Julio 5th 2025 at 14:21
Introduction

In China, there is a lack of standardised clinical imaging databases for multidimensional evaluation of cardiopulmonary diseases. To address this gap, this study protocol launched a project to build a clinical imaging technology integration and a multicentre database for early warning and stratification of cardiopulmonary dysfunction in the elderly.

Methods and analysis

This study employs a cross-sectional design, enrolling over 6000 elderly participants from five regions across China to evaluate cardiopulmonary function and related diseases. Based on clinical criteria, participants are categorized into three groups: a healthy cardiopulmonary function group, a functional decrease group and an established cardiopulmonary diseases group. All subjects will undergo comprehensive assessments including chest CT scans, echocardiography, and laboratory examinations. Additionally, at least 50 subjects will undergo cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). By leveraging artificial intelligence technology, multimodal data will be integrated to establish reference ranges for cardiopulmonary function in the elderly population, as well as to develop early-warning models and severity grading standard models.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has been approved by the local ethics committee of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital (approval number: 2022SL069A). All the participants will sign the informed consent. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.

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