Awareness and knowledge of orthodontics: its implications among medical and dental undergraduates at the University of Port- Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Objective: To assess the level of awareness and knowledge of orthodontics, as well as its implications, among medical and dental undergraduates at the University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.Method: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 160 medical and dental students in their lecture rooms. The students were in  different levels of study; ranging from first year to final year, i.e. both pre-clinical and clinical. The questionnaire examined their awareness and knowledge of orthodontics, as well as their past dental experiences, if any. It also included questions such as whether a medical doctor should refer patients with malocclusion to an orthodontist, and whether respondents would refer patients with malocclusions to an orthodontist. Statistical analyses were carried out with Epi-info version 7.0 on a personal laptop computer.Result: Only 147 (92%) questionnaires were properly completed and analyzed. Dental students were significantly more aware of orthodontics than their medical counterparts (p = 0.029). Over half of the students (53.7%) had never heard of the term 'malocclusion'. Majority (91.2%) of those who had heard of the term 'malocclusion' answered correctly that it refers to 'badly arranged teeth', while a quarter of them (25.5%) believed that malocclusion affects appearance alone.Conclusion: Generally, the knowledge of orthodontics as a specialty in dentistry, malocclusion and its impacts, as well as benefits from treatment is very poor among these undergraduates in the College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt. There is a need to include an introductory course in orthodontics in the undergraduate medical curricula.