INTRODUCTION Orthodontics is concerned with the extent of normal variation of form and function of both the hard and soft tissues of mouth and face, and particularly in the way in which such variations produce differences of occlusion. The study of these factors should emphasise their inter-relationships with the general growth and development of the individual and be related to social and psychological factors and common disease processes. A major objective is that the student should be able to apply the principles of orthodontics in general practice and to recognise the limitations that exist in that situation. That involves the ability to carry out diagnostic procedures, formulate treatment plans and relate them to comprehensive patient
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A standard data collection technique was used consisting of a questionnaire, which was attached to the case report. These were individually presented to all undergraduate students who were doing their internship in the respective colleges. No time limit was set to answer the questions. In the questionnaire, several questions were asked in regard to the knowledge on orthodontics, attitude of the students towards the training provided by their institution in orthodontics and perception of a successfully completed orthodontic treatment. The last part of the questionnaire consisted of a case report(Fig 1) consisting of intra-oral pictures and lateral cephalogram of a Class III patient. Students were asked to assess the need for treatment and the timing to initiate the treatment in the given scenario. The collected data were processed and analysed with the aid of IBM SPSS statistics software v. 19, and the charts were generated using Microsoft Excel 2013. Since the aim of this study was to assess the orthodontic knowledge of undergraduate students, the analysis was descriptive and …show more content…
These future dental professionals, during their clinical career, should be capable of identifying dental occlusion problems in their patients and referring them for orthodontic treatment.
Deficiencies in the training of general practitioners are observed not only in diagnosing orthodontic problems but also in identifying the optimal time for treatment of various malocclusions and referral to specialists.(4) Other studies used a similar sample as this study (students attending the last semester of undergraduate dental courses)for Angle Class I malocclusions in the so-called “ugly duckling” stage (phase of normal occlusion development) and Angle Class II malocclusions. Both questionnaires showed that most students did not have adequate knowledge to determine the optimal stage to begin treatment. Although students were able to identify Class I malocclusion (n=120 or 79.6%) and deviations from normality such as the existence of diastemas (81.7%) and excessive overbite (29.9%), they failed to understand that in the “ugly duckling” stage these features are inherent to normal development and referred these patients to a specialist, which might lead to indicating undesirable treatment. Regarding,Angle Class II, Division 1 malocclusion , only half of the sample subjects
A standard data collection technique was used consisting of a questionnaire, which was attached to the case report. These were individually presented to all undergraduate students who were doing their internship in the respective colleges. No time limit was set to answer the questions. In the questionnaire, several questions were asked in regard to the knowledge on orthodontics, attitude of the students towards the training provided by their institution in orthodontics and perception of a successfully completed orthodontic treatment. The last part of the questionnaire consisted of a case report(Fig 1) consisting of intra-oral pictures and lateral cephalogram of a Class III patient. Students were asked to assess the need for treatment and the timing to initiate the treatment in the given scenario. The collected data were processed and analysed with the aid of IBM SPSS statistics software v. 19, and the charts were generated using Microsoft Excel 2013. Since the aim of this study was to assess the orthodontic knowledge of undergraduate students, the analysis was descriptive and …show more content…
These future dental professionals, during their clinical career, should be capable of identifying dental occlusion problems in their patients and referring them for orthodontic treatment.
Deficiencies in the training of general practitioners are observed not only in diagnosing orthodontic problems but also in identifying the optimal time for treatment of various malocclusions and referral to specialists.(4) Other studies used a similar sample as this study (students attending the last semester of undergraduate dental courses)for Angle Class I malocclusions in the so-called “ugly duckling” stage (phase of normal occlusion development) and Angle Class II malocclusions. Both questionnaires showed that most students did not have adequate knowledge to determine the optimal stage to begin treatment. Although students were able to identify Class I malocclusion (n=120 or 79.6%) and deviations from normality such as the existence of diastemas (81.7%) and excessive overbite (29.9%), they failed to understand that in the “ugly duckling” stage these features are inherent to normal development and referred these patients to a specialist, which might lead to indicating undesirable treatment. Regarding,Angle Class II, Division 1 malocclusion , only half of the sample subjects