Knowledge and Awareness of Practicing Dentists About Oral Manifestations of Haematological Diseases and Blood Count Interpretation: A Pilot Study

Objective: This study aimed to assess practicing dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-confidence regarding knowledge about oral manifestations of haematological disorders and interpretation of blood count (BC) tests. Materials and Methods: An online survey was sent to all practicing dentists via email addresses registered with the Dental Chamber. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic data and assessed knowledge of hematological diseases, their oral manifestations, and BC interpretation, as well as dentists’ attitudes toward interdisciplinary collaboration and perceived need for continuing education. In the knowledge section, some questions required a single correct answer, while most allowed multiple selections. For multiple-choice items, any incorrect choice made the response incorrect; responses were partially correct if accurate but incomplete and fully correct only when all correct options were selected. Statistical analysis was performed with p < 0.05. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk, Kruskal–Wallis H, Mann–Whitney U, and independent-samples t-tests were used. Results: A total of 308 dentists responded, representing only 7.6% of the national dental workforce. While most recognized the relevance of BC tests and systemic disease indicators in oral health, knowledge gaps were substantial. The mean score on knowledge items was low (2.81 ± 1.52 out of 11), with only 1.3% dentists achieving seven or more correct answers. Interestingly, dentists with higher self-reported confidence in interpreting BC tests had lower knowledge scores, suggesting a potential Dunning-Kruger effect. Knowledge did not differ by specialization or postgraduate education, likely reflecting limited curricular coverage, but was more strongly associated with clinical experience, practice location, and patient load. Most respondents (96.1%) expressed strong interest in further education on the topic. Conclusions: Targeted education and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential to overcome gaps and enhance knowledge and diagnostic accuracy in oral manifestations of blood diseases and BC interpretation.