Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Research 2345-5489 10 2 2023 10 16 69 78 EN Ali Sadeghian Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Kazem Dalaie Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Behnaz Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2023 08 27 2023 09 03 Introduction: Orthodontics is a significant part of general dentistry education. Yet, many  general dentistry graduates seldom practice orthodontics. This study assesses the desire of last-year  dental students at Shahid Beheshti Dental School towards orthodontic treatments in their future  career.  Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was validated by ten dental specialists. For reliability,  it was re-administered to ten students after ten days. Descriptive statistics were used for  results presentation. The Mann-Whitney test compared ranked responses, and the Kruskal-Wallis  test compared grade point average (GPA) variations. The comparison of mean opinions based on  age, gender, and academic term was conducted with the t-test independent samples and based on  GPA status with a one-way ANOVA. Analyses were done using SPSS 25, with a significance level  of 0.05.  Results: In this study, 58 last-year students were questioned in line with the research objectives.  More than half of the students believe that the hours dedicated to teaching orthodontic courses at  university are insufficient (65%), the quality of theoretical teaching is low (55%), practical teaching  hours and presence in the department are inadequate (48%). Only 15 percent of students declared  they have the necessary confidence to diagnose and conduct orthodontic treatments after graduation.  About half of the students express an interest in attending supplementary orthodontics  courses after graduation (39%).  Conclusion: According to approximately half of the students’ opinions, the quality of teaching  theoretical and conceptual orthodontics courses is low. Additionally, students lack the necessary  confidence and desire to diagnose, plan, and perform treatments after graduation.  Keywords: Dental education; General dentistry; Orthodontics; Orthodontics education.  https://jcr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jcr/article/view/453 https://jcr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jcr/article/download/453/379