The application of teledentistry for Saudi patients' care: A national survey study

Abstract

Background/purpose Teledentistry has emerged as a new communication tool in various dental disciplines around the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability and reliability of teledentistry in the field of diagnostic dentistry and explore the perception of Saudi dentists of its benefits and concerns. Materials and methods An electronic survey with 40 questions was developed, validated and distributed electronically by email and social media channels to dentists from different specialty in Saudi Arabia. Collected data were analyzed for statistical significance. Results A total of 148 dentists completed the survey. The current data demonstrated that 50% of study participants have had applied teledentistry in their clinical practice. Out of all, 90% have computers in their dental offices and 72% have been using electronic medical records in which radiographs and clinical images are uploaded. Most participants had smart phones (91%), in which they were used more commonly (74.3%) than conventional cameras (54.1%) to capture and share patients' clinical images over communication applications (74.3%) and less likely through emails (62.2%). Overall, 83% were confident that teledentistry can improve daily dental practice, specifically in the fields of oral radiology followed by endodontics and oral medicine. Conclusion Teledentistry is an emerging tool with potential to improve the delivery of diagnostic dental care for communities with limited or no access to dental specialists. As of today, teledentistry has not been truly implemented by the Saudi dental community. Development of national programs to educate the public and promote teledentistry among dental practitioners are warranted.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Knowledge and Attitudes of Dentists toward Teledentistry

“…Likewise, Boringi et al (2015) found that although most dentist students surveyed in their study had some knowledge about TD, they did not know how to inculcate it in practice in the future. In a study before the pandemic, Almazrooa et al (2020) reported that 50% of study participants have applied TD in their clinical practice. Therefore, it is important to expand and improve continuing TD education in the new generations to overcome this barrier.…”

Pattern of dental needs and advice on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

“…This concept becomes handy during the pandemic where many can get dental consultations and limited dental services remotely. Although dental professionals in Saudi Arabia believed that teledentistry would improve dental care, only 50% have applied it in their practice [ 4 , 26 ]. Despite that dentists are being skeptical about the application of teledentistry in dental care, teledentistry provides a safe venue for patients to get consultations and limited dental care during the pandemic in a safe and convenient manner.…”

Telemedicine Among Oral Medicine Practitioners During COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Future Impact on the Specialty

“…Interestingly, we also found that 23% of the respondents were using telemedicine for teaching purposes during COVID-19 pandemic as it was proven in previous study that telemedicine can provide an addition to the conventional teaching methods in dental education. 15 In contrast, majority of the participants (82.6%) believe that telemedicine is not a substitute for face-to-face clinical visits. However, most of the participants are willing to adopt telemedicine as a part of their clinical practice.…”

“…Similarly, in the event of COVID-19, we observed that majority of participants believe telemedicine can be used for consultation (72%) and follow-up ( Table 2 ), as observed in previous studies. 15 , 16 More than half of the respondents were familiar with the use of telemedicine. The use of personal smartphones was the preferred method for sharing patient’s images, radiograph and other telecommunications.…”