Teledentistry use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions and practices of Ontario dentists

Abstract

Abstract Background: Studies have shown the potential role of teledentistry to expedite and improve consultations, diagnosis, and treatment planning while mitigating the risk of COVID-19 transmission in dental offices. However, dental professionals' utilization of teledentistry remains suboptimal. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the perceptions and practices of teledentistry among dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada and identify associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted among Ontario dentists in December 2021. The questionnaire inquired about socio-demographic attributes, perceptions about teledentistry use, its usage during the pandemic, and perspectives on its future application. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution of categorical variables and univariate analysis of continuous variables were conducted first followed by Chi-square tests, to determine the association between professionals’ attributes such as age, gender, years of practice, and location of practice, and their views on teledentistry. SPSS Version 28.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results Overall, 456 dentists completed the survey. Majority were general dentists (91%), worked in private practices (94%), were between 55 and 64 years old (33%), and had over 16 years of professional experience (72%). The most common reason for non-utilization was a lack of interest (54%). Those who use teledentistry identified patient triage, consultation, and patient education as the three most important uses. Gender (p<0.05), type of practice (p<0.05), number of settings in which dentists practiced (p<0.05), number of resources accessed (p<0.05), and comfort levels with discussing teledentistry (p<0.05), were all found to be significantly associated with the participants’ current use of teledentistry (n=447). Type of practice (p<0.05), number of practice settings (p<0.05), number of resources accessed (p<0.05), and comfort level with discussing teledentistry (p<0.05) were significantly associated with their future willingness to use teledentistry (n=456). Conclusions Participants expressed mixed perceptions toward teledentistry. Despite the increased utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants' lack of interest in teledentistry emerged as a barrier to its use. More education and knowledge dissemination about teledentistry's areas of application and technical aspects of use can increase interest in this tool, which may lead to a greater uptake by dental professionals.