Knowledge and attitude among nursing students in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment

• Author Details:   
• Sonia Chauhan ^*

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Background: Malocclusion is one of the leading causes of oral problems faced by individuals. Malocclusion can lead to functional as well esthetic problem. Awareness about the deleterious effect of malocclusion is limited among the common masses. Nursing professionals are one of the main pillars of educating patients regarding diseases in medical profession. This article throws light on the awareness regarding malocclusion among professionals like nursing students.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude among the nursing students towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment.

Materials and Methods: A questionnaire of 10 questions accessed the knowledge and attitude of 191 nursing students towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment with a yes or no response. The data was collected and tabulated in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The results were calculated in percentage.

Results: 79% nursing students knew about the term ‘malocclusion’ and knew that malocclusion leads to chewing problems. 47% had knowledge that irregular teeth leads to breathing problems.88% knew that some teeth have to be removed during orthodontic treatment.92% subjects admitted that orthodontic treatment enhanced facial appearance. 84% of the students considered the orthodontic treatment to be an expensive affair while 78% thought it to be time consuming. 27% visited the dentist frequently. 26% of the students showed interest in undergoing orthodontic treatment if it would continue for more than 2 years.

Conclusion: The present study showed that nursing students of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh had adequate knowledge about orthodontic treatment but their attitude towards undergoing orthodontic treatment showed reluctance because they considered it to be a time consuming and expensive process.

Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Malocclusion, Orthodontics, Nursing students.