Knowledge, Awareness And Practice Of Digital Orthodontics Among Orthodontists And Orthodontic Residents – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, there has been a revolution in the use of technology across all fields, including medicine and dentistry. Significant technological advancements are being made in the field of orthodontics, which have enhanced patient and practitioner experience overall. This study aimed to assess knowledge, awareness, and practice of digital orthodontics among orthodontists and orthodontic residents through a questionnaire. Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data using 20 questionnaires (pretested and prevalidated) by the experts. The questionnaire consists of socio-demographic information (5 questions) and a section asking about knowledge (9 questions), awareness (5 questions), and practice (6 questions) about digital orthodontics. The Final sample size was 360. Following content validation, the completed questionnaire was forwarded over social media platforms to the Orthodontic Study Group and distributed to orthodontists and orthodontic residents, and responses were collected. The data was assembled, organized, and subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS, IBM version 20.0. A chi-square test was performed for the quantitative variables. Results: The findings showed that most participants were aware about digital orthodontics, and they also showed a promising trend towards incorporating digital orthodontics into routine clinical practice. A statistically significant difference was present regarding the knowledge about digital orthodontics between males and females (p value=0.024). Conclusion:  Orthodontic Residents and orthodontists demonstrated a positive attitude, acceptable knowledge, a good outlook and little experience with digital orthodontics.