Knowledge of Rural Population about Orthodontics: An Original Research.

Introduction: Dental specialties are seldom recognized in India. Hence, in the present study, we aim to assess awareness among the rural population about the dental specialty of orthodontics. Materials and
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based cross-sectional observational study at the rural center attached to the institute. We divided the participants into two groups as adults and teenagers. A questionnaire with 15 questions to assess the knowledge of the orthodontics was given and the response was noted. Data were analyzed for the statistical significance.
Results: We observed no significant difference in general information and awareness about the knowledge for the orthodontics.
Conclusion: There is still a deficit of the awareness among rural India about the dental specialty of the orthodontics irrespective of the age and gender. Awareness camps have to be arranged at the school levels. Copyright:

INTRODUCTION

The dental health impacts the overall health of the individual. The role of a dentist is seldom recognized in the rural areas of India. The oral health included both the soft- and hard-tissue health.[123] The various pathologies that are commonly recognized by even a nonmedical person are misarranged teeth, jaw, and face deficiencies. The most common treatments that are availed by the normal public are tooth extract fillings. For the children, the parent attends the dentists for the pain or for correction of the wrongly arranged teeth. In visiting the orthodontists, the main motive may be for the esthetics.[456] Except for those who are in need of the orthodontists, very few people in the rural side of the country know of this specialty. Insufficient research was done to evaluate the rural parts of India for the cognizance of the specialty of the orthodontics.[789] Hence, in the present study, we aim to assess the awareness among the rural population about the dental specialty of orthodontics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a questionnaire-based cross-sectional observational study at the rural center affiliated to the institute. An aggregate of 1500 participants took part in the study. They all were from the rural part of the country. A questionnaire of 15 questions was given in both English and local languages [Figure 1]. They were formulated in such a manner to assess the awareness about the orthodontics as a specialty among the rural public. We grouped them as teenagers and adults. We excluded all those who underwent treatment for dental anomalies and also those who were in medical fields. The responses were noted and scored. The scores were analyzed for statistical significance keeping P < 0.05 as significant.

Figure 1

The questionnaire form

RESULTS

We observed no significant difference between the demographic parameters. Majority were male participants, however, there was no significant difference between the genders. No difference was seen between the groups for the age for the knowledge and the awareness of the orthodontic specialty [Table 1].

Table 1

Comparison of the groups for the scores

Evaluation	Sex		Total	P
	Female				Male
Fair	110		100		210	0.624
Good	500		550		1050
Poor	110		130		240
Total					1500
Evaluation	Age				Total	P
	15-24	25-34	35-44	45-54
Good	250	450	180	120	1000	0.152
Poor	50	70	50	30	200
Fair	120	100	30	50	300
Total					1500

DISCUSSION

There are many studies that have been done about the knowledge level of the general public about the dentistry. Very few know about the dental specialties among the general public.[789]

Hence, in our study, we evaluated if there is any awareness of the specialty of the orthodontics among rural India. In developed countries, the various specialties of the dentistry are contrary to what we observed in the present study. We also observed that in other studies, the awareness of the dental specialties is linked to the level of the education. There are few studies that state that the dental knowledge changes with population and the ethnicities.[159] In our study, we found no significant difference for the ages for the awareness of the dental specialty of the orthodontics. However, it was better among the teenagers than the adults. This is in accordance with the study of Siddegowda.[8] Better awareness was seen among the high schoolers than the middle school pupils. In the study of Singh et al.,[9] they also found similar results, however, they were urban participants. The limitation of the study was that we considered only one region of the country. Further, studies with samples from various parts of India are advised to avoid the bias in the results.

CONCLUSION

There is still a deficit of the awareness among rural India about the dental specialty of the orthodontics irrespective of the age and gender. Awareness camps have to be arranged at the school levels and other propaganda methods have to be followed at the village levels.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.