Improving Early Orthodontic Diagnosis In Primary Healthcare Through Targeted Training Programme

Abstract

Background: Early identification of orthodontic abnormalities is essential for preventing progressive dentofacial complications and reducing treatment complexity in children. Primary care professionals may be the first health care professionals to evaluate a pediatric patient, but a lack of orthodontic training may help delay diagnosis and referral of developing malocclusions.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted orthodontic training programme in improving early orthodontic diagnostic knowledge, recognition of malocclusion patterns, and referral confidence among primary healthcare professionals.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional interventional study conducted in the Orthodontic Department at Lahore Medical & Dental College in Lahore, Pakistan for six months from January 2025 to June 2025. A total of 60 primary healthcare professionals were enrolled through non-probability consecutive sampling and equally divided into two groups comprising 30 participants each. While Group A received no intervention, Group B underwent the structured orthodontic training programme. Validated questionnaires and standardized clinical image-based evaluations were used to assess the baseline knowledge and diagnostic competency. Reassessment of the students was done after intervention with the same assessment tools. The data was analysed with SPSS version 26 and a p value of ≤0.05 was used to determine statistical significance.

Results: The intervention group demonstrated significant improvement in mean diagnostic assessment scores following the training programme (52.7 ± 10.3 vs 82.4 ± 7.6; p<0.001). There was significant improvement in the recognition of posterior crossbite, skeletal malocclusion, dental crowding, mouth breathing patterns and the presence of harmful oral habits after the intervention. Referral confidence regarding early orthodontic consultation increased from 36.7% to 86.7% among participants in the intervention group.

Conclusion: The targeted orthodontic training programme significantly improved orthodontic diagnostic capability and referral confidence among primary healthcare professionals, highlighting the importance of integrating orthodontic education into primary healthcare systems.