General Dentist's Knowledge about Appropriate Timing of Orthodontic Treatments in Isfahan

In order to achieve the most effective treatment outcome with the least cost, awareness of the appropriate timing of orthodontic interventions is important, especially for general dental practitioners as the first ring of the therapeutic chain. Orthodontic treatments should be carried out at the right time to achieve a favorable outcome and save time and expenses for patients. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of general dentists of the favorable time for orthodontic treatments.
In this descriptive-analytical study, data were collected from 100 dental practitioners in Isfahan through a randomized questionnaire containing 24 questions. The questions were classified into four categories: primary dentition, early mixed dentition, late mixed dentition and permanent dentition. The mean of the collected data was analyzed using LSD tests (α = 0.05) in terms of university and different graduation times. The normal distribution of data was assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Kruskal-Wallis tests (α = 0.05).
The mean knowledge score of the dentists was 14.77 (out of 24 score). Graduates of the 2000s gained the highest scores (with a mean score of 15.26), followed by those of the 1990s (mean score = 14.46) and before the 1980s (mean score = 13.40). Moreover, the knowledge of graduates from the governmental universities was higher than others with an average score of 15. 63, followed by the graduates of Isfahan University (a mean score of 15.27), Azad University (a mean score of 14.75) and universities abroad (a mean score of 11.83), which were significantly different from each other.
The knowledge of dentists was moderate; therefore, it is necessary to promote their knowledge.