Periodontal status, knowledge, and dental barriers among Kuantan healthcare workers

Periodontal disease remains a pervasive global health challenge, affecting 94.6% of Malaysian adults. Despite this high national prevalence, data regarding healthcare workers remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by evaluating periodontal status, knowledge, and barriers to dental care among Ministry of Health (MOH) employees in Kuantan, Pahang, a cohort that is expected to exhibit high health literacy. Our objectives are to evaluate periodontal status and to determine associated factors for knowledge, barriers to dental attendance, and source of dental knowledge. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 224 MOH employees. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire and a clinical Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE). Simple and multiple linear regression analyses identified associated factors for each domain. Periodontal disease was highly prevalent (99.6%), with 42.0% exhibiting moderate (CPI 3) and 23.2% severe (CPI 4) forms. Multiple linear regression showed that being female (adjusted ? = 0.533, p = 0.001) and having no deep periodontal pockets (adjusted ? = 0.428, p = 0.008) were associated with higher knowledge scores. Conversely, being non-dental personnel (adjusted ? = -1.029, p < 0.001) was the strongest factor associated with lower knowledge scores. No specific personal or clinical factors explained the barrier scores. This shows that obstacles like being 'busy' are widespread workplace hurdles rather than differences between individual employees. A striking knowledge–practice gap exists among MOH employees, marked by high disease prevalence despite adequate knowledge. Targeted education strategies addressing specific predictor groups particularly non-dental personnel and individuals with existing deep periodontal pockets are warranted.