Teleconsultations in oral medicine: dentist perception during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to describe the perception of dentists from the North macroregion of Minas Gerais, Brazil, users of telediagnosis in Oral Medicine, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. Data collection was carried out online, between May and October 2022. The information was transferred to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows (SPPS)® version 24. Results The sample consisted of 255 dentists, predominantly female. Regarding perception, a significant percentage (47.8%) of respondents agreed that they would like to use telediagnosis frequently, more than half (60.6%) agreed that the technology is easy to use, only a small percentage (8.8%) needed technical support to use it and almost half (48.2%) mentioned the desire to continue using it after the pandemic. When asked if patients felt confident and comforTable when passing on information, more than half disagreed or remained neutral (58.4%), a similar result was found in relation to confidence in the application of the instrument by professionals. Conclusions It is concluded that, during the pandemic, telediagnosis in Oral Medicine was an easy and adequate tool. However, professionals must be trained and prepared to be comforTable and ready for use. Key words: COVID-19, oral medicine, telemedicine, teledentistry.