Investigation of the understanding on tropical infectious diseases and oral health among dental professionals in China

Background With the increasing exchange of domestic and international personnel, local infections of tropical infectious diseases are continuing in tropics and imported infections are emerging in non-tropics, some of which are accompanied by oral manifestations. Therefore, it is essential for dental professionals to identify the related oral manifestations, who are working for domestic medical service, international medical assistance, peace-keeping medical service or medical support of international joint military exercises. This study aims to investigate the attitude and knowledge of Chinese dental professionals on tropical infectious diseases and oral health, and to explore the difference between different genders, education backgrounds, professional identities, professional titles and tropics working experience. Methods Network questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of 236 Chinese dental professionals towards tropical infectious diseases and oral health. Results The scores of the participants on tropical infectious diseases and oral health were quite low. Although working experience in the tropics partially affected the understanding, there was no difference between different genders, education backgrounds, professional identities and professional titles. Conclusion The understanding of dental professionals on tropical infectious diseases and oral health was insufficient. It is necessary to improve the clinical education and management specified with tropical infectious diseases and oral health.