An assessment of knowledge and application of lingual orthodontics among orthodontists in their routine clinical practice

Abstract

With orthodontic patient demographics expanding to involve more adults, the demand for esthetic appliances is greater and orthodontists are keen on offering their patients more discreet and even invisible options. Lingual orthodontics is a very viable field which offers all this, and it is noteworthy that more and more orthodontists in India are practicing the craft.This questionnaire based survey aims to assess the knowledge and application of Lingual Orthodontics among Orthodontists in their routine clinical practice in India.A sample of 157 participants (orthodontists) was taken after assessing the sample size within the age group of 27 - 50 years of age. The participants comprised of orthodontists practicing in various parts of India. A Questionnaire was created on Google forms and circulated to participants using various social media platforms. The data of responses of participants were analyzed and evaluated with the help of pie charts.This survey analyzed the knowledge and application of Lingual Orthodontics among Orthodontists in their routine clinical practice in India. The results highlighted certain key points ; Majority of the Orthodontists in India did not practice Lingual Orthodonticsand if a patient demanded Lingual braces, majority of the Orthodontists convinced them for conventional braces. Majority of the Orthodontists also reported of not being comfortable practicing Lingual Orthodontics and were not even certified as trained Lingual Orthodontists. They reported of facing certain problems like long treatment duration, more frequent patient visits, increased appointment duration, increased breakages and increased patient discomfort. Most of the participants suggested that conventional braces were better than Lingual braces and they also felt that Lingual Orthodontics took up a lot of clinical chair side time. Maximum participants reported of frequently using conventional braces in their routine clinical practice. They also felt that there was a need to conduct increased awareness and training programs in lingual Orthodontics and a whopping majority also believed that Lingual Orthodontics had now become obsolete.This questionnaire based survey clearly helped in analyzing the knowledge and application of Lingual Orthodontics among Orthodontists in their routine clinical practice in India. Increased awareness and training programs in lingual Orthodontics need to be conducted in India as there were very few Orthodontic clinicians practicing lingual Orthodontics in routine practice.