Awareness On Williams Syndrome Among Dental Students

Abstract

Introduction :Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic and neurodevelopmental disorder.Williams syndrome (WS) is a multisystem disorder caused by the deletion of 26 contiguous genes, including elastin (ELN)on chromosome 7q11.The child with this syndrome also shows distinctive facies (elfin-like features), hypercalcemia, connective tissue abnormalities, growth abnormalities, intellectual disability, behavior deficits, and a gregarious personality.The first cases of Williams syndrome were found in early reports detailing the clinical characteristics of children who had infantile hypercalcemia, short stature, and variable congenital malformations.

Aim:To evaluate awareness level regarding clinical Features, genetic factors, specific dental features associated with Williams syndrome among Dental students .

Materials And Methods: This survey was conducted among 100 dental students of a private dental college by circulating a  questionnaire . Google forms and links were shared in various social media. 10 questions consisting related to awareness,clinical features,dental features associated with Williams syndrome were included in this study. Students of the  private dental colleges were only included in the study.The data was  collected and analysed using SPSS software  version 23 and the  statistical significance was checked using Chi-Square analysis . ( p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant)

Result:.54% students think that it is not possible to cure Williams syndrome 56% of students are aware of clinical features and genetic variations of Williams and Down syndrome.Majority of the dental student population about 66% says that prevalence of tooth abnormalities such as midline spacing , crooked teeth are more common among Williams syndrome

Conclusion :It was noted that there is still a lack of awareness prevailing , hence more updates have to be given among undergraduate students regarding Williams syndrome and it’s dental features for better knowledge .