DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2020.v07i09.006

Pages: 133-137

Background: It has been stated that malocclusion is the third most common oral health problem, which is caused due to various environmental and genetic factors. The lifestyle of a person is adversely impacted by malocclusion due to its psychological as well as other disturbances in eating, talking, and aesthetics. Aim: The study aims to assess the awareness towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment among adolescent school going students. Methodology: A total of 700 students (350 male and 350 female school Students) of age group between 15-18 years were included in the study. A pre-structured self-administered questionnaire consisting of 12 questions were given to the school students to assess their knowledge and attitude towards malocclusion and Orthodontic treatment. Results: The survey data was collected and organized into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft Inc., USA), and the data was tabulated and computed in percentage using SPSS version 21.0 software. The data obtained from adolescent student population suggests that there is significant difference between the awareness of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment in males and females. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a fair amount of awareness towards orthodontic treatment among Adolescent School Students, but specific misconceptions and barrier exist. The Female students showed a more positive awareness towards Orthodontic treatment when compared to male patients. Clinical significance: The survey helped to assess the knowledge and awareness towards malocclusion and orthodontic treatment among adolescent school students.