Knowledge and attitude of general population towards orthodontic treatment in Aseer Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the attitude and knowledge of general population towards orthodontic treatment in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among the general population of Aseer, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A validated, self-administered 10-item questionnaire was formulated and sent to the study participants through social media. The responses were entered into Microsoft Excel sheet and statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 17. Results: Majority (45.3%) of the respondents disagreed that people wearing orthodontic appliances do not look good, while 36.2% were neutral in answering the same. A bulk of respondents (81.2%) agreed that the orthodontic treatment is expensive, while only 7.4% of the respondents disagreed for the same. Majority (96%) of the respondents agreed that special oral hygiene aids, such as orthodontic brush, interdental brush, and mouthwash are required to be used during orthodontic treatment. Around 73% of the respondents agreed that orthodontic treatment takes a long time, while 20.6% were neutral in responding to the same. Conclusion: It was concluded that although most of the respondents were aware about the features of orthodontic treatment and also had a positive attitude about it, still not all had the same attitude. It is recommended that the orthodontists, general dentists, and public health dentists need to make collaborative efforts to overcome the barriers for uptake of orthodontic treatment by the people.