Awareness On Apert Syndrome Among Dental Students

Abstract

Introduction: Apert syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by craniosynostosis (premature fusion of cranial structures), acrocephaly (premature closure of lambdoid and coronal sutures) , syndactyly of the hands and feet and often combined with anomalies of other organs. The most readily observed dental mal-relationships are severe maxillary anterior open bite and a severely crowded and retrusive maxillary arch due to the constricted secondary palate. The aim of this study is to examine the awareness of dental students about Apert syndrome due to its large amount of oral manifestations.

Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study involving students of Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, India were taken. A self-structured questionnaire containing 11 questions was framed and circulated among dental students of 100 people. The questions enquired about the awareness of AS among dental students. Google forms were used to circulate the questions and the responses were collected, the data analysis was carried out using SPSS software. Chi square test was used for statistical analysis and p value < than 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Out of the participants, 58% were females and the remaining 42% were males. Majority of the participants were unaware about the term Apert syndrome. Most of them did not know about the cause, and main characteristics of the syndrome. Some questions were wrongly answered and the students took to the option of ‘not aware’ as well.

Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be said that neither gender is very aware about the features, symptoms, characteristics, oral manifestations and treatment of Apert syndrome and knowledge about the same should be spread.