Understanding attitudes of the use of dental applications among parents of kindergarten aged children (Preprint)

Abstract

Teledentistry refers to the use of telehealth systems and methods for remote dental examination, diagnosis, consultation, and treatment planning. Dental mobile applications can promote public dental health. Due to the fact that the attitudes of parents influence their young children, we investigated 3 hypotheses: 1) Parental attitudes regarding the use of dental apps will be positive for themselves and their children; 2) The attitude of the parent will be more positive for dental apps for their children than for themselves; 3) Parents with higher usage of medical apps, will have more positive attitudes to using dental apps and be more willing to pay for the service.

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of parents of kindergarten children regarding the use of applications that encourage the promotion of oral health.

This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study examined the attitude of parents regarding the use of dental apps. The anonymous questionnaire was distributed through social media in WhatsApp groups of parents with children aged 0-6 years in Israeli kindergartens and schools.

The more apps a person uses in their daily life, the more medical and dental apps they utilize. Higher usage of dental apps improved attitudes towards these applications in the parent group (p<0.01). Positive attitudes increased willingness to pay for the applications (r=.148, p<.001).

Health apps change interactions with health care professionals, enabling remote access with doctors and dentists. Parents of young children had positive perceptions of the usefulness of applications as a tool to promote the oral health of their children.

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