Background <p>The goal of this study was to determine dental practitioners’ perceptions of essential theoretical knowledge and operational skills that should be included in the occlusion curriculum in undergraduate dental education in China.</p> Methods <p>A structured questionnaire was designed to elicit dental practitioners’ perspectives on essential content for the undergraduate occlusion curriculum in China. The questionnaire was based on the most recent edition of the textbook Occlusion that was developed by a national expert panel to serve as the content standard for occlusion instruction in Chinese undergraduate dental curriculum. The questionnaire survey was conducted using the “QuestionStar” app among dental professionals from diverse workplaces in 31 of the 34 provinces in mainland China. Then, the differences in the educational perceptions of the theoretical knowledge and operational skills needed for the occlusion curriculum among different dental professionals were analyzed.</p> Results <p>Two thousand and two hundred dental practitioners were sent the online questionnaire and 2,140 valid responses were collected (92.7%) from 31 provinces in China. The professional scope of the respondents covered almost all the dental specialties, and 85.78% of the respondents had over 10 years of work experience in dentistry. An overwhelming majority of the respondents (98.83%) recognized the importance of systematic education in occlusion for dental undergraduates. 77.96% of the respondents believed that a systematic occlusion curriculum comprising a well-planned sequence of theoretical and operational lessons with specific learning objectives at each stage should be taught to undergraduates before, during or after dental clinical internship. Although there was broad agreement on the key content of occlusion curriculum, specific perceptions of key content varied among respondents from different workplaces or professional fields depending on daily professional foci.</p> Conclusions <p>A high percentage of practicing dentists surveyed in this national study of Chinese dental practitioners agreed that five topics are essential for undergraduate occlusion education: characteristics of functional occlusal contacts, occlusion and mandibular position, occlusal wear, occlusion biomechanics, and occlusal adjustment. However, some key topics including clinical manifestations and TMD examination methods were not viewed as essential by many respondents, indicating a gap between occlusion curriculum and the needs of clinical practice. This survey provided insights for optimizing occlusion education for the undergraduate dental curriculum and continuing education for dental practitioners.</p>