Background and Objectives: Oral health (OH) is a critical component of general health, with poor oral hygiene linked
to systemic illnesses. This study aimed to assess the OH knowledge and practices among health professionals in
Sulaymaniyah City. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 health professionals using stratified
sampling from public health facilities across Sulaymaniyah. Data were collected via a structured, multilingual, selfadministered questionnaire ready questionnaire from another paper just by English language foe evaluating knowledge,
attitudes, awareness, and barriers related to OH and root canal treatment (RCT). Results: 95.3% recognized brushing as
preventive for caries and periodontal disease, and 88.8% correctly defined RCT. However, significant disparities
emerged between dentists and physicians. Dentists showed superior knowledge regarding sugar’s role in caries (P ≤
0.011), plaque as a periodontal risk factor (P ≤ 0.003), and the technical definition of RCT (P ≤ 0.003). They also
exhibited more favorable attitudes toward twice-daily brushing (p < 0.001), RCT recommendation (P ≤ 0.002), and
perceived cost-effectiveness (P ≤ 0.018). Awareness of bacterial etiology of caries and RCT indications was significantly higher among dentists (P ≤ 0.001). Despite these gaps, 98.5% of all respondents acknowledged the oral-systemic health link.Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed that although the overall awareness level of health professionals regarding OH and RCT was relatively high, there remained a statistically significant gap in knowledge between general practitioners and dentists. This difference was particularly pronounced in understanding technical aspects of RCT, the importance of post-treatment crowns, and factors influencing dental caries.
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