Martins, DianaBotelho, JoãoJúdice, AndréProença, LuísMendes, José JoãoMachado, Vanessa2026-05-222026-05-222025-12Martins D, Botelho J, Júdice A, Proença L, Mendes JJ and Machado V (2025) Prevalence of periodontitis and associated factors among Portuguese Air Force pilot cadets: a cross-sectional study. Front. Public Health 13:1724111. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.17241112296-2565http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/63272Objectives: To assess the periodontal health, perceived quality of life, and oral health values among Portuguese Air Force (PT-AF) pilot cadets. Methods: This cross-sectional study included cadets from the PT-AF Academy (December 2024–Mar 2025). Participants completed sociodemographic, behavioral, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Oral Health Values Scale-12 (OHVS-12) questionnaires, followed by full-mouth periodontal examinations to compute Periodontal Inflamed Surface Area (PISA) and Periodontal Epithelial Surface Area (PESA), and classify periodontal status according to the 2017 European Federation of Periodontology/American Academy of Periodontology (EFP/AAP) criteria. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted, with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Among 90 participants (72% of the contingent; mean age 21.1 ± 1.7 years), 22.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 14.6–31.6] had periodontitis and 22.2% (95% CI: 14.6–31.6) gingivitis. Only 34.4% reported regular interproximal cleaning. Periodontitis was significantly associated with smoking habits (p = 0.029) and was more prevalent among 5th-year cadets (p = 0.002). No significant differences were found in OHIP-14 or OHVS-12 scores by periodontal status, except for the “Appearance and Health” OHVS-12 domain, where those with periodontitis scored higher (p = 0 034). Age correlated positively with PISA (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Despite their young age and military fitness, nearly half of PT-AF cadets presented clinical signs of periodontal disease. The findings underscore the importance of structured and integrating oral health surveillance and preventive strategies within military occupation health programs.engperiodontal diseasemilitary personnelPortuguese Air Forceaviation occupational healthoral health-related quality of lifeoral health valuescontribution to journal10.3389/fpubh.2025.1724111