Knowledge, Awareness and Attitude to the Practice of Orthodontics among a Population of Secondary School Teachers in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: This study was carried out to assess the knowledge of orthodontics, awareness and attitude to orthodontic care among a group of secondary school teachers in Nigeria.
Methods: A random sample of 241 male and female secondary schoolteachers comprising 112 (46.5%) males and 129 (53.5%) females with an age range of 20 to 56 years and a mean age of 34.8 + 8.7 years from 9 public and 6 private schools in Rivers State were assessed. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-test and chi-square were used to analyse data.
Results: Only 40.7%ofthe teachers had heard about orthodontics; with a good knowledge of the subject recorded in
37.8% of the study population. A favourable attitude towards orthodontics was found in 36.7% of the teachers but only about 20% were aware of the existence of any orthodontic centre in Rivers State, one of the states in South South Nigeria. Orthodontic knowledge was found to be higher among male private school teachers. This study also reported that favourable attitude was found in those with a good knowledge of orthodontics, while awareness of the study population was found to decrease with increase in length of service.
Conclusion: This study revealed low percentages of teachers with a good knowledge, awareness and attitude towards orthodontics thus we conclude that orthodontic knowledge, attitude and awareness among these teachers were generally poor.