Orthodontists and Orthodontic Residents’ Education: Effect on Professional Attitudes and Behavior

Dental education aims at shaping the future professional behavior of their students, thus contributing to reduce oral health disparities and increasing care for the society. Objective The objective of this study was to access the perception of the quality classroom-, clinic-, and community-based orthodontic postgraduate education devoted to the management of cleft lip palate cases, surgical orthodontic cases, and growth modification cases Null Hypothesis No relationship exists between the quality of postgraduate dental education and professional attitude and behavior in providing care to cleft lip palate cases, surgical orthodontic cases, and growth modification cases. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 active members were involved. The first group included approximately 100 residents of Central India and the second group consisted of approximately 100 active orthodontists of Central India. The questionnaire was given to each group about the different clinical condition. Answers were given on 5-point scale to access the professional attitude and behavior. Conclusions The finding of this study challenges administrators about the postgraduate dental program in the specialty of orthodontics and reflects the degree to which this education contributes to the orthodontic health of the society.