Knowledge, Practice, and Opinions Regarding Periodontal Disease in Diabetic Patients Among Medical Officers in Perak

Aim: The prevalence of periodontal disease (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the rise worldwide. Both diseases have been proven to have a bidirectional relationship. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, practice, and opinions of medical officers regarding PD in their diabetic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving medical officers and family medicine specialists was conducted in 76 Perak government health clinics. A self-designed standardised self-administered questionnaire consisting of four domains was used. Upon completion, respondents were provided information sheets for further reading. Results: 314 (91.8%) out of 342 eligible participants took part in the study. Only about half of the respondents sometimes enquired about their patients' oral health (56.7%), informed them of their increased susceptibility to PD (44.6%), and advised them to go for dental screening (44.9%). Respondents had limited knowledge about PD, but they were well-read about the link between PD and DM. The majority (97.8%) were eager to learn more about PD and its impact on systemic health. More than 90% of them showed great interest in expanding their practice to include a brief oral health intervention. Most of the respondents (77.4%) supported the inclusion of oral health screening in their diabetes clinical monitoring protocol and felt it would be beneficial for their patients (88.5%). Conclusion: Most respondents had a less than ideal oral health intervention practice. However, they were keen in expanding their knowledge and providing a brief oral health intervention to their patients. This will improve patient care and periodontal health of diabetic patients. Keywords: knowledge, diabetes mellitus, practice, periodontal diseases, medical