title: Practice Perspectives of Left-Handed Clinical Dental Students in India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Handedness becomes important for students during their training period. Limited literature is available regarding the same.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the dental practice perspectives and determine the hand preference and discomfort level among the Left-Handed (LH) clinical dental students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 30-item survey tool was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey among four successive LH cohorts (third and final year undergraduates, dental interns and postgraduates) in all the dental colleges of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, during the year 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 84 students completed the survey, response rate being 100%. About one-third (37%) reported that their institution was not properly equipped to accommodate LH students. Majority felt that LH dentists were at a higher risk of developing musculoskeletal complications. Mouth mirror handling showed equal distribution for handedness as compared to the other dental activities, whereas discomfort levels were negligible ("without any difficulty"). Dental practice perspective scores significantly correlated with the difficulty levels (r=-0.333, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the left-handers had a right dental practice perspective and their responses indicate a need to address their issues empathetically.
authors.affiliation: Senior Resident, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences , New Delhi, India .
authors.forename: Shivam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College and Research Institute , Bengaluru, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: Manjunath P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Puranik
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College and Research Institute , Bengaluru, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Uma
keywords: Dental practice; Dental students; Handedness; Limitations of left handedness; Manual dexterity; Musculoskeletal complications