Evaluation of the Awareness and Knowledge of Orthodontic Treatment in Purvanchal Region (Uttar Pradesh): A Questionnaire- based Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Individuals who did not have the opportunity to undergo orthodontic treatment due to lack of information or financial resources, find themselves physiologically deprived of aesthetics. So, awareness must be a part of planning oral health problems in every stratum of the society.

Aim: To evaluate the awareness and knowledge of Orthodontic treatment among patients from Purvanchal region, Uttar Pradesh.

Materials and Methods: This self-designed questionnaire based descriptive and cross-sectional study, was conducted from May 2018 to June 2019 at Faculty of Dental Sciences, Unit of Orthodontics, Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Four subject expert and one public health dentist formulated 22 bilingual questions. A pilot study was conducted on 200 randomly selected study participants and the internal consistency of the questions were measured statistically (Coefficient of variation ratios, Cronbach’s alpha=0.659, Lawshe’s index= 0.626). The study sample size was then computed using nMaster 1.0 software to be 1748 which was later increased to 2112. Patients were randomly selected and categorised depending on age groups (10-15, 16-20,
21-25, 26-30 years), sex (male/female) and residential area (rural/urban). The questionnaire was distributed among the study group and response were collected on the same day. The data acquired was later subjected to statistical analysis. Chi-square, t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 (p-value <0.001).

Results: Of the total samples (N=2112), 1316 were males, 82.2% were from urban locations. Overall awareness in the study was found to be maximum for 16-20 years (25%) and minimum for 26-30 years 2.6%. Males were more cautious about their treatment needs (Awareness was 21.3% in male, 12.4% in female). Response to importance of teeth alignment for better facial appearance based on gender and residence was found to be highly significant (p<0.001).

Conclusion: There was a sudden decline in dental knowledge about orthodontics after 26 years of age with the maximum awareness in age group 16-20 years. Urban males were more conscious of orthodontic treatment.