Evaluation of the awareness and knowledge of orthodontics and orthodontic treatment in patients visiting School of Dental Sciences, Karad

Aim: The aim of the study attitudes and perceptions toward dental appearance differ among populations and individuals. There is a paucity of data regarding awareness of orthodontic treatment among village population in the Indian context. Materials and Methods: After due ethical clearance, a prestructured questionnaire consisting of twenty questions was given to random 500 patients visiting the School of Dental Sciences, Karad, Maharashtra, India, in the age group of 18-25 years, who may or may not have taken orthodontic treatment. Exclusion criteria used were systemically compromised patients. The responses of the patients to the questions were recorded on a 3-point Likert scale. Simple descriptive statistics were applied to describe the study variables. The Chi-square test procedure was used to compare means for two groups. Results: Chi square tests done on the data obtained from random village population suggests that there is significant difference between the awareness of orthodotnic treatment in males and females. Conclusion: Within limits of this study, it may be concluded that people in rural areas comparatively lack awareness regarding advances and various techniques in orthodontic treatment. Although people are concerned regarding their facial appearance, lack of awareness regarding this field makes them unapproachable to an orthodontist.