Abstract
Medical doctors are the primary caregivers for a vast majority of health-related complaints. If they are unaware of the impact of malocclusion and orthodontics on the health and general well-being of the patient, they may not identify, educate, motivate and refer patients for orthodontic care. Considering that the present-day medical students are the future medical doctors; we sought to assess their level of orthodontic awareness. This cross sectional survey was conducted in King Khalid University College of Medicine. The sample included 375 male and female medical students selected by simple random sampling technique. A pre-piloted self-administered questionnaire was used and the collected data was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS package. Response rate was 70.4% (n= 264). Males were 49.2% (n= 130) and the rest were females. Half of the respondents (50.1%, (n= 131) were familiar with the term 'orthodontics'. 31.4% (n= 81) knew that orthodontics involved correcting malocclusion. 40.1% (n= 106) had received orthodontic treatment. Around half of the respondents (54.5%, (n= 144) have relatives undergoing orthodontic treatment and 47.4% (n= 125) felt aesthetics is most affected by malocclusion. Similarly, 56% (n= 148) would make referrals and 38.6% (n= 102) cited treatment duration as a discouraging factor. The medical students surveyed had limited awareness of orthodontics as a specialty. The female students showed a higher level of awareness towards oral health and orthodontics as compared to male students. Basic introduction to the dental sub-specialties, especially orthodontics would enable them to identify malocclusions, educate the patients and make informed referrals appropriately. Incorporating oral health education into the medical curriculum is a natural way to make a positive impact on patients' health and well being.