Title
Parental awareness and practice on malocclusion in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India: A questionnaire survey
Authors
Narayan Kulkarni, Ipsit Trivedi, Harsh S. Modi, Nirali Shah & Lay Doshi*
Affiliation
Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Goenka research institute of Dental science (GRIDS), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India; *Corresponding author
Narayan Kulkarni - E-mail: drorthonaru@gmail.com
Ipsit Trivedi - E-mail: dripsittrivedi@gmail.com
Harsh S. Modi - E-mail: dr.harshsmodi@yahoo.com
Nirali Shah - E-mail: nmspln2112@gmail.com
Lay Doshi - E-mail: laydoshi23@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received October 1, 2025; Revised November 15, 2025; Accepted November 15, 2025, Published November 15, 2025
Abstract
Malocclusion in children often remains unnoticed or underestimated by parents, despite its significant impact on oral function and psychosocial well-being. Therefore, it is of interest to assess parental awareness and practices regarding malocclusion and orthodontic care among 200 parents in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, using a validated bilingual questionnaire. Data revealed that while 75.5% of parents were aware of malocclusion, only 30% knew about orthodontic appliances beyond fixed metal braces and male parents demonstrated significantly higher awareness levels. Most parents (86%) expressed readiness to persuade their child for treatment based on professional advice; yet socioeconomic factors influenced treatment preferences. Thus, that despite moderate awareness, there is a pressing need for targeted public health programs and educational initiatives to enhance parental knowledge and encourage timely orthodontic intervention for children.
Keywords
Children, orthodontics, parental knowledge.
Citation
Kulkarni et al. Bioinformation 21(11): 4116-4120 (2025)
Edited by
Hiroj Bagde
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
