Oral Health as a Component of Integrated Care: Knowledge and Training Needs Among Primary Healthcare Professionals in Portugal

Background: Physicians and nurses can contribute to oral health promotion and the recognition of conditions requiring dental assessment, but their preparation for these roles may be limited. This study assessed oral health knowledge, perceptions, self-reported practices, and perceived training needs among primary healthcare (PHC) professionals in northern Portugal. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 103 physicians (43.7%) and nurses (56.3%) who completed a structured online questionnaire. Performance was assessed using 11 knowledge items, including single-choice, multiple-response, and open-ended formats, and one clinical vignette. A study-specific 12-component score was used in comparative and multivariable analyses. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: All participants considered oral health important (100%), and 97% expressed interest in further training; 18.4% reported previous specific oral health training. The mean percentage of responses meeting the scoring criteria across the 11 knowledge items was 54.5%. Participants with previous training had higher scores in the reported unadjusted analysis (62.3% vs. 56.0%; mean difference: 6.33 percentage points; 95% CI: 0.05–12.61; p = 0.048). Educational qualification was also associated with scores in the reported unadjusted analysis. Neither association met the significance threshold after adjustment (training: p = 0.160). Conclusions: Respondents expressed positive attitudes and substantial perceived training needs, with lower performance on selected preventive topics. These regional, exploratory findings should be interpreted in light of the non-validated instrument and uncertainty in some scoring criteria. They support further assessment of educational needs, but do not establish the effectiveness of training or clinical competence.