Objective:The objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 12-15 years old school children of Udaipur, India.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 887 subjects aged 12-15 years. The prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs was assessed using dental aesthetic index (World Health Organization, 1997). General information on demographic data was also recorded. Chi-square test, analysis of variance and Scheffe's test were employed for statistical analysis.Results:Malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need was reported among 33.3% of the study subjects. A significant age and gender difference depicting preponderance among younger age group and a male proclivity was experiential. A significant improvement in anterior crowding and largest anterior maxillary irregularity with age was documented. Males had a significantly higher prevalence of anterior crowding, midline diastema and largest anterior maxillary irregularity than females.Conclusions:The prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among school children of Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India was found to be 33.3%. A significant age and gender difference was observed in prevalence of malocclusion, crowding and largest anterior maxillary irregularity. Midline diastema showed a significant gender difference. The baseline information outlined in the present study can be appropriately utilized for the future planning to meet the orthodontic treatment need among the population.

Throughout history, teething has been held responsible for a variety of childhood illnesses. The objective of this study was to assess parents' knowledge and beliefs about teething signs and symptoms and to investigate the practices used to alleviate teething troubles. A crosssectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 550 parents in Udaipur, India. The questionnaire contained three sections eliciting demographic characteristics and assessing parents' knowledge, beliefs, and practices regarding teething. Statistical analysis used descriptive statistics and the chi-squared test (p ≤ 0.05). Response to teething was incorrectly attributed to fever (70%), diarrhea (87.5%), and sleep disturbances (48.2%). Only 33.2% of parents allowed their children to bite on chilled objects to relieve symptoms associated with teething. A common lack of knowledge about teething among parents should encourage dental healthcare providers to educate them regarding the teething process and its management.

This study determines and compares the attitudes of dentists to the provision of care for people with learning disabilities according to gender, qualification, previous experience of treating patients with learning disabilities and work experience of dentists. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 247 dentists (166 men and 81 women) using a pretested structured questionnaire. This questionnaire assessed the respondent's attitude towards learning-disabled patients in five categories: beliefs about treating them, their capabilities, discrimination against these patients, their social behaviour and quality of care to be received by these patients. The information on dentist's gender, qualification, work experience and previous experience of treating patients with learning disabilities was also collected through questionnaire. The Student's t-test and anova test were used for statistical analysis. The mean attitude score was found to be 71.13 ± 8.97. A statistically significant difference was found in the mean attitude scores of dentists with work experience (p = 0.000). Study subjects with postgraduate qualification and previous experience of treating patients with learning disabilities had significantly greater mean attitude score than their counterparts (p = 0.000). The overall attitude of dentists towards provision of care for people with learning disabilities was favourable, which increased with higher qualification and past experience.