TRATAMENTO ORTODÔNTICO E MÁS OCLUSÕES: UM INQUÉRITO SOBRE O CONHECIMENTO, AS ATITUDES E PERCEPÇÕES DE ODONTOPEDIATRAS MINEIROS

The aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pediatric dentists about malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. Professionals registered with the Regional Dental Council of Minas Gerais (CRO-MG) and the Brazilian Association of Pediatric Dentistry of Minas Gerais (ABOPED-MG) were invited to participate. Pediatric dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions were measured using a 32-item questionnaire sent electronically. Higher scores indicated a higher knowledge and more positive attitudes and perceptions. Descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney test were used (p < 0.05). The sample consisted of 80 (88.9%) female and 10 (11.1%) male pediatric dentists. Regard the type of institution they attended the specialist course, 70 (77.8%) studied at private institutions and 20 (22.2%) at public institutions. Seventy-five (83.3%) reported having no specialization in Orthodontics and 15 (16.7%) had already completed a specialist course in this area. Men exhibited a higher perception score than women (p = 0.04). Individuals who had completed the specialist course at a private institution exhibited a more positive perception compared to individuals who had attended a public institution (p = 0.03). Pediatric dentists who had also specialized in Orthodontics exhibited a higher knowledge score than those who had not (p = 0.02). Individuals with specialization, master's and doctoral degrees had the highest knowledge scores (p = 0,03). Male pediatric dentists who specialized in a private institution had more positive perceptions about malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. Pediatric dentists who specialized in Orthodontics and those with various levels of training had greater knowledge about malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. Keywords: Pediatric dentistry; orthodontics; malocclusion; higher education.