In Malaysia, training to enter dental
nursing profession is only open to women. Ironically,
there are no such gender restrictions on training for
any other health related professions in Malaysia.
Aim: Therefore this study aims to assess the
perceptions of Malaysian Senior Dental Officers
(SDOs) towards the employability of male workers in
the dental nursing profession and to compare findings
from male and female SDOs. Methods: This cross
sectional study was carried out on all SDOs in
Ministry of Health, Malaysia, using a self-administered
questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a chi square
test were used to address the study objectives. Results:
Of the 112 participants, 78 SDOs returned the
questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 70%. The
majority of SDOs had positive perceptions of the
employment of male dental nurses. It was indicated that
gender is an important indicator for workforce
development, and that the employment of both male
and female dental nurses would enhance productivity.
Almost 70% of SDOs perceived that the productivity
of oral health service would be enhanced by having
male and female dental nurses but 84.6% disagreed
that male dental nurses would be more productive than
female. Two thirds of SDOs disagreed that male dental
nurses would increase satisfaction among male
patients. About 64% of male SDOs disagreed that
dental nursing profession is associated with female
traits. There was no significant difference between
perceptions by male and female SDOs for any
statements. Conclusion: The majority of Malaysian
SDOs have positive perceptions towards the
employability of male dental nurses, and perceived
dental nursing as a suitable profession for both
genders. Training for the dental nursing profession
should therefore be made available for men.