Interrelationships between periodontitis and systemic diseases: A cross-sectional study about knowledge and practices of general practitioners in Senegal

Background: The concept of periodontal medicine has shed light on the correlation between Periodontitis and systemic diseases, where periodontopathogen bacteria play a role in the induction or exacerbation of several extra-oral diseases. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of general practitioners (GPs) on the interrelationships between periodontitis and systemic diseases.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire, comprising 22 multiple-choice questions, divided into four sections, on randomly selected GPs. Knowledge and practice scores were calculated, and statistical analysis was done with SPSS software version 20.0.Results: The survey lasted 4 months, with 205 questionnaires collected (78.5±0.025% (95% CI: 78.19 to 78.80) response rate). The analysis showed a male predominance (69%). Of all the general practitioners surveyed, 76.1% were aware of the association between periodontitis and diabetes and identified it as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome (48.29%), cardiovascular disease (44.8%), rheumatoid arthritis (38.04%) and respiratory infections (35.1%). Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer or endometriosis were associated with Periodontitis by 3.4% of respondents, and 1.95% also considered it associated with erectile dysfunction. GPs’ level of knowledge influenced their daily practices (knowledge score 32.7±14.31% (95%CI: 30.74 to 34.65), and practice score 48.3±18.96% (95%CI: 45.70 to 50.89); correlation coefficient r = 0.296, p