RESEARCH ARTICLE

Dentists’ Self-perception on Teledentistry: The Changing Landscape Driven by Technological Booming in the 21stCentury.

The Open Dentistry Journal 16 June 2020 RESEARCH ARTICLE DOI: 10.2174/1874210602014010291

Abstract

Aim:

Teledentistry has gained popularity worldwide because it is cost-effective and increase accessibility to dental healthcare. This study assessed the self-perceptions of teledentistry among dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia and examinedany gender-related differences.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and December 2017 and recruited a convenience sample of dental practitioners, whose self-perceptions of the practice-related use of teledentistry were assessed viaateledentistry survey (TDS). The TDS consisted off our sections:efficiency in patient care, cost reduction,capabilities forimproving practice, and security and confidentiality.Data analyseswere conducted throughdescriptive statistics,internalreliability tests(Cronbach’s alpha), andchi-squaredtests of the TDS.

Results:

The response rate was 620/800(78%). Most respondents were female (62%), and 58% of themworked in the public sector. The internal reliability of the TDS was 0.85 for the whole sampleand 0.85 and 0.90 for males and females, respectively. Among the entire sample, 51% agreed that teledentistry reduced potential cost, and 65% reported shortened waitlists. More females (42%, p<0.001) than males (22%) agreed that teledentistry could help monitor a patient’s condition.More females (35%) than males (13%, p<0.001) considered that teledentistry would require additional appointments for imaging. More females(29%, p=0.0001) than males (22%) expressed great concern aboutpotential violations of confidentiality.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest thatteledentistry in dental practiceis well perceived by practitioners in Saudi Arabia. Gender differences in perceptions are linked to certain aspects of teledentistry.

Keywords: Dentists, Self-perception, Technology, Teledentistry, Teledentistry survey, Sociodemographic characteristics.
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