Malaysian senior dental officers’ perceptions of the employability of male dental nurses and possible policy implications

Background: 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 Off icers (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.