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

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Teledentistry in Periodontal Diagnosis Among Dental Interns at a College in Sebha, Libya: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

Background Teledentistry, a subspecialty of telemedicine dedicated to dentistry, has shown promise in improving access to dental care, particularly in rural and isolated areas. It integrates digital and telecommunication technology with dentistry, allowing for the remote distance exchange of relevant clinical information and digital dental imaging for dental consultation and treatment planning. Periodontal disease diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and prevention of irreversible loss of periodontal structures. Early identification of periodontal disease can be pivotal in preventing periodontal tissue destruction and tooth loss and improving the overall quality of patients' lives. Sebha is a city located in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is the capital of the Sabha District and the Sabha Governorate. The city is situated in the Libyan part of the Sahara desert and is known for its strategic location as a gateway to the Sahara desert. However, there is a lack of information on the use of teledentistry in Libya in general and the use of teleperiodontics, especially in periodontal diagnosis. Hence, the aim of this questionnaire study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practice of teledentistry among dental interns at Sebha, Libya. Materials and methods A paper-based questionnaire consisting of 28 close‑ended Likert scale questions, including sections assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of teledentistry and teleperiodontics, was administered to dental interns at the Faculty of Dentistry, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya. Results The study surveyed 42 dental interns of the Faculty of Sebha, Libya, in total, with an 82.35% response rate among them. The majority of participants (59.5%) felt that teledentistry is reliable in arriving at periodontal diagnosis. The majority of participants (64.3%%) also had acceptable levels of trust in teledentistry equipment. However, over 45% percent of dental practitioners voiced their worries about patient privacy. Most of the participants suggested using teledentistry in some form in their future practice. Conclusion Teledentistry and its branch teleperiodontics are recent developments and its penetration among dental healthcare workers, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice remain to be thoroughly understood. The changing trends in attitudes and practice as a consequence of changes in Internet and technological awareness and the effects of the pandemic warrant closer observation and study.

Dental clinicians' perceptions on the use of tele-dentistry consultations during COVID-19 within public dental clinics in Sydney, Australia

BACKGROUND

Although well accepted by clinicians and patients, teledentistry is not currently a widely used model of care within Australian public oral health services. This qualitative study aimed to review and evaluate dental clinicians' perceptions, by determining the acceptability and appropriateness of teledentistry as a model of care.

METHODS

A purposive sample of 12 public dental practitioners employed by a Local Health District in Sydney, and who had participated in teledentistry consultations, were recruited to participate in focus groups. Focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Teledentistry was a novel concept for most participants and was well accepted. Participants valued the use of a standardized consultation template as well as effective communication with other dental clinicians to support the practice of teledentistry. However, many found attempting contact with patients over the telephone difficult as well as the perceived patient frustration with the administration process and technological difficulties experienced.

CONCLUSION

Teledentistry has the potential for growth and expansion in the public health system. From the opinions in this study, the authors propose further research is needed into the efficacy of teledentistry to assist with the development of a model of care that would be beneficial for dental clinicians and their patients. © 2023 Australian Dental Association.

Attitudes and opinions of telehealth in the dental school environment: A survey study

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to assess provider attitudes and opinions regarding telehealth in the dental school environment.

METHOD

A survey was developed and validated and was sent to 849 predoctoral students, postdoctoral students (residents), and faculty at a single dental school. It consisted of 13 questions regarding the participants' professional backgrounds, opinions, and attitudes toward telehealth. The survey opened on November 16, 2021, and remained open for 6 weeks.

RESULTS

Of 849 survey recipients, 163 (19%) responded. Among 161 usable surveys, 90 (56%) were predoctoral students, 42 (26%) were postdoctoral students, and 29 (18%) were faculty. Fifty-four percent reported having completed at least one telehealth visit. Among this subset, 80% strongly agreed or agreed that telehealth is a good adjunct in providing care; 74% strongly agreed or agreed that telehealth has improved communication with patients.

CONCLUSION

Most dental providers reported positive opinions and attitudes regarding telehealth's ability to improve communication and serve as an adjunct to providing care.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

In the right circumstances, telehealth offers an alternative to traditional oral healthcare delivery methods. Based on the perceptions of dental providers, the use of telehealth may also be beneficial in combination with traditional approaches in the dental school environment.

Teledentistry: A Future Solution in the Diagnosis of Oral Lesions: Diagnostic Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Introduction: Teledentistry (TD) can offer a wide range of possibilities in the field of oral medicine. Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are hard to detect, and even harder to diagnose correctly. With the help of TD, OPMDs can be detected and diagnosed by a remote specialist. Our aim was to investigate whether TD could provide a reliable diagnostic method compared with clinical oral examination (COE) in the diagnosis of OPMDs. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in three databases (Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL) until November 2021. We included studies that compared telediagnosis and COE, both made by experts. Pooled specificity and sensitivity were calculated and visualized on a two-dimensional plot. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool, and the level of evidence is shown with the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool. Results: Of the 7,608 studies, 13 were included in the qualitative and 9 in the quantitative synthesis. Using TD tools in the detection of oral lesions (OLs) showed high specificity (0.92 confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.59-0.99) and sensitivity (0.93 95% CI = 0.17-1.00). In the differential diagnosis of lesions, we found high sensitivity and specificity (0.942 95% CI = 0.826-0.982 and 0.982 95% CI = 0.913-0.997), respectively. We summarized the available data on time-effectiveness, screening person, referral decision, and technical settings. Conclusion: Detecting OLs with TD tools might lead to earlier diagnosis, treatment, and stricter follow-up of OPMD. TD may offer a great substitution for COE in the diagnosis of OLs, and thus, fewer referrals could be made to special care, resulting in a greater number of treated OPMDs.

The Use of Patient-Oriented Mobile Phone Apps in Oral Health: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Oral health is a significant part of general health. Poor oral health can influence an individual's appearance, self-esteem, eating, and speaking. The use of mobile phone apps has been growing in the field of medicine, including dentistry. However, to date, there is no evidence related to the availability of mobile apps focusing on various branches of dentistry.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to review the scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health and summarize the key findings.

METHODS

A scoping review of published scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone apps in oral health was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute. A search was performed in PubMed and Scopus for studies published between January 2000 and June 2021 that were written in English. All study types except for those reporting developmental protocols were included in this review. In total, 2 reviewers independently screened the studies using the eligibility criteria. The study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework registries in June 2021.

RESULTS

The initial search yielded a total of 977 studies, 45 (4.6%) of which met the inclusion criteria. All the studies (45/45, 100%) were published after 2009. Most studies (31/45, 69%) concerned oral health promotion using mobile phone apps, followed by behavior management (5/45, 11%). More than half (23/45, 51%) of the included studies were conducted in Asian countries. Overall, 31% (14/45) of the studies focused on adolescents. A total of 51% (23/45) of the studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Approximately 39% (9/23) of the included RCT studies reported a substantial reduction in dental plaque, and 26% (6/23) of the studies reported significant improvement in gingival health. Regarding dental anxiety management, 13% (3/23) of the RCT studies reported a significant decrease in mean heart rate and lower Facial Image Scale scores.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the literature, the use of mobile apps in oral health is increasing among patients, mainly children and adolescents. Many studies that have used mobile apps have focused on promoting oral health. However, other areas such as diagnostic and remote consultations (teledentistry) have until recently been neglected despite their great potential.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Parental Perception of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children: A Comparison of a Sample from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Materials and Methods

OHRQoL was measured using a a validated Arabic version of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP). Parents of children aged between 5 and 9 years were administered questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses were compared across the different domains of the questionnaire between the two countries using the Mann-Whitney U test. Differences were also tested between the parents of males and females separately in each city. The correlation of the COHIP scores with the age of the child was done using the Spearman's rho.

Results

No significant differences in overall COHIP scores were found between the parents in Riyadh and Kuwait City (p > 0.05). There were significant gender differences observed across domains in Kuwait (p = 0.030) but not in Riyadh (p = 0.295). There was also a significant negative correlation between the different COHIP domains in Kuwait but not Riyadh.

Conclusion

There is a greater gender difference and age correlation of OHRQoL among the population studied in Kuwait City when compared to those in Riyadh.

Teledentistry from research to practice: a tale of nineteen countries

Aim

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated teledentistry research with great interest reflected in the increasing number of publications. In many countries, teledentistry programs were established although not much is known about the extent of incorporating teledentistry into practice and healthcare systems. This study aimed to report on policies and strategies related to teledentistry practice as well as barriers and facilitators for this implementation in 19 countries.

Methods

Data were presented per country about information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, income level, policies for health information system (HIS), eHealth and telemedicine. Researchers were selected based on their previous publications in teledentistry and were invited to report on the situation in their respective countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Hong Kong SAR, Iran, Italy, Libya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe.

Results

Ten (52.6%) countries were high income, 11 (57.9%) had eHealth policies, 7 (36.8%) had HIS policies and 5 (26.3%) had telehealth policies. Six (31.6%) countries had policies or strategies for teledentistry and no teledentistry programs were reported in two countries. Teledentistry programs were incorporated into the healthcare systems at national (n = 5), intermediate (provincial) (n = 4) and local (n = 8) levels. These programs were established in three countries, piloted in 5 countries and informal in 9 countries.

Conclusion

Despite the growth in teledentistry research during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of teledentistry in daily clinical practice is still limited in most countries. Few countries have instituted teledentistry programs at national level. Laws, funding schemes and training are needed to support the incorporation of teledentistry into healthcare systems to institutionalize the practice of teledentistry. Mapping teledentistry practices in other countries and extending services to under-covered populations increases the benefit of teledentistry.

Inequalities in access to NHS primary care dental services in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction This study aimed to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access and inequalities in primary care dental services among children and adults in Scotland.Methods Access was measured as any NHS Scotland primary care dental contacts derived from administrative data from January 2019 to May 2022, linked to the area-based Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation for children and adults, and related to population denominator estimates from National Record Scotland. Inequalities for pre-pandemic (January 2019-January 2020) and recent (December 2021-February 2022, and March 2022-May 2022) periods for both children and adults were calculated and compared using the slope index of inequality and relative index of inequality.Results Following the first lockdown (March 2020) there was a dramatic fall to near zero dental contacts, followed by a slow recovery to 64.8% of pre-pandemic levels by May 2022. There was initial widening of relative inequalities in dental contacts in early 2022, which, more recently, had begun to return to pre-pandemic levels.Conclusion COVID-19 had a major impact on access to NHS primary dental care, and while inequalities in access are apparent as services recover from lockdown, these inequalities are not a new phenomenon.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Oral Health Workforce: A Multicenter Study from the Southern Region of Brazil

The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to describe the surveillance and biosafety measures adopted by dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants who worked in the Southern Region of Brazil and (2) to evaluate access to information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a multicenter and cross-sectional design, using a self-applied and validated online questionnaire. The availability of health-care-related supplies and the adoption of biosafety measures recommended by the Technical Note of the National Health Surveillance Agency No. 04/2020 were analyzed. A total of 2560 Brazilian workers participated (75.8% dentists, 15.7% dental assistants and 8.5% dental hygienists), 52.7% from the public and 37.7% from the private sector. Approximately 70% of the individuals reported being away from work during the pandemic. The surveillance measures adopted with higher mean scores were the investigation of respiratory infection symptoms when scheduling appointments and the adoption of distancing in the waiting room. Of the biosafety measures to avoid aerosols, the procedures with lower compliance were those related to the use of intraoral radiographs and rubber dams. Moreover, the correct use of personal protective equipment at work seems to be related to self-perceived stress and anxiety. Worryingly, high access to information through non-governmental documents was observed. Permanent health education policies should reinforce safe practices and encourage workers to implement biosafety and surveillance measures in health services.

Applicable of teledentistry and digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic among dentists in Fiji: A qualitative study

Objectives

This research aims to explore the perception of dental officers (DOs) and dental managers (DMs) on the use of teledentistry and digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji.

Methods

This qualitative study was conducted among 30 DOs and 17 DMs. The study was conducted in private dental clinics, government dental clinics and the School of Dentistry and Oral Health clinic (SDOH), in the Central Division, Fiji that were selected randomly. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling method using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was collected through in-depth interviews via zoom using a self-developed semi-structure open-ended interview questionnaire. Manual thematic analysis of the data was conducted.

Results

Five themes emerged from data analysis: utilization of teledentistry and media during the pandemic, usefulness of teledentistry, confidence with teledentistry and digital platforms-associated risks, digital platforms for record keeping, and teledentistry promotion and training. Teledentistry was mostly utilized by private practitioners and the oral surgery department. Practitioners were not in favour of teledentistry as they thought it was putting them at risk.

Conclusion

Majority of DOs and DMs were not utilizing teledentistry except for a few private dental practitioners and the oral surgery department. Future research can be conducted in other divisions and include other healthcare professionals.

Refining the process: Safety net dental professionals' experiences with teledentistry implementation during the first year of COVID-19

OBJECTIVES

Teledentistry helped dentistry adapt to pandemic-era challenges; little is known about dental professionals' teledentistry experiences during this time. This analysis sought to understand professionals' pandemic teledentistry experiences and expectations for the modality's future.

METHODS

We conducted virtual individual interviews (n = 21) via Zoom to understand how federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) delivered oral care during the first year of the pandemic, including but not limited to the use of teledentistry. We independently coded each transcript, then identified themes and sub-themes.

RESULTS

We identified three major themes: (1) Logistical and equity considerations shaped teledentistry's adoption; (2) Team-based factors influenced implementation; and (3) Teledentistry's future is as-yet undetermined.

CONCLUSIONS

Experiences with teledentistry during the first year of COVID-19 varied substantially. Future directions should be more deliberate to counter the urgency of pandemic-style implementation and must address appropriate use, reimbursement guidance, patient and provider challenges, and customizability to each clinic's context.

Evaluation of Tele-Dentistry and Face-to-Face Appointments during the Provision of Dental Services in Poland

Tele-dentistry is a rapidly growing field, especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote services are of increasing interest to both patients and dental personnel. They allow for reduced person-to-person contact and thus a reduced risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the functioning of all areas of life, including dental treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using tele-dentistry for dental services and analyse the attitudes of patients and dentists towards this solution. The period analysed was between March 2019 and February 2021 in five healthcare entities in Cracow in Central Europe. The study’s retrospective analysis shows a positive attitude of patients towards tele-dentistry at every stage of treatment, from diagnosis through postoperative care, and a significant reluctance of dentists in the majority of dental specialties towards tele-dentistry. Consequently, a significant percentage of patients were invited to dental offices for a face-to-face appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative attitude of dental personnel towards tele-dentistry compared with the positive attitude of patients towards tele-dentistry is somewhat worrying in view of the possibility of a further pandemic. At the same time, it provides important information about the need to educate and support dental personnel in tele-dental solutions and improve solutions for the future. Taking into account the potential reduction in dental care costs for patients and countries after the implementation of tele-dentistry solutions, this is an important topic, while current studies do not comprehensively address the attitudes of patients and dental personnel towards tele-dentistry. In other parts of the world, a similar approach to tele-dentistry is used by patients and dentists.

Perceptions and attitudes of dental practitioners towards impacts of Covid 19 pandemic on clinical dentistry: a cross-sectional study

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged all healthcare providers including dental practitioners. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the dental practitioners’ perceptions and attitudes towards the impacts of COVID-19 on their professional practice, career decision and patient care.

Methods

Data was collected from dental practitioners registered in New South Wales (NSW), Australia using an online survey.

Results and conclusion

Responses received from 206 dental practitioners revealed their perceptions and attitudes towards COVID-19 infection risk, clinical guidelines, and measures adopted to deliver patient care. Majority of participants perceived the risk of infection in dentistry was higher compared with other health professionals. Most dental practices have followed guidelines received from professional associations and adopted multiple measures such as providing hand sanitizer, social distancing, and risk screen, to ensure safe delivery of oral health care. Over 80% of dental practitioners raised concerns on patients’ accessibility to dental care during the pandemic. Despite tele-dentistry was introduced, almost half of the participants did not recognize tele-dentistry as an effective alternative. Moreover, negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on dental practitioner’s professional career have been reported, including lower practice safety, reduction in working hours and income. Noteworthy, one quarter of participants even considered changing their practice environment, moving sectors or even leaving their career in dentistry. However, majority of the dental practitioners are willing to stay in their current practice environment and continue their career in dentistry. Our observations demonstrate the systematic disruption to dental practice faced in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing dental practitioners with timely educational training and support is important to minimise negative impacts of the challenges and to optimise dental care.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-022-02457-y.

COVID-19 as an opportunity for minimally-invasive dentistry: a national cross-sectional survey

Background

During the COVID19 pandemic, the Latvian government issued first absolute restrictions (elective treatments prohibited, only emergency care) and later relative restrictions (preference for non-aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) and emergency care) on dental care. This study aims to assess the impact of these restrictions on the decision made by Latvian dentists about caries treatment.

Methods

A Survey-based cross-sectional study was used. A minimum sample size of 174 dentists was estimated for national representativeness (N = 1524). The questionnaire was developed by experts and sent three times via email to Latvian dentists from July to September 2020 and was also delivered in printed form at two national conferences in September and October 2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated.

Results

We received 373 completed questionnaires, with a total response rate of 24.5%. Under the recommendation to reduce AGP for the treatment of uncomplicated caries, 10% of the dentists stated that they would stop attending, 54% would only attend emergencies, and 36% would attend as usual. Under prohibition, the percentages are 15%, 74%, and 11%, respectively. Regarding the type of treatment, more than 75% would opt to proceed with selective caries removal for both primary and permanent teeth and 10% for extraction.

Conclusion

Latvian dentists are willing to treat patients with caries during the pandemic and state that they prefer to use non- or minimally invasive and less aerosol-generating methods for caries treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-022-02432-7.

Is Teledentistry a Method for Optimizing Dental Practice, Even in the Post-Pandemic Period? An Integrative Review

Background: For the past two and half years, dentists all across the world, along with their patients, have faced numerous challenges. In this context, the aim of this integrative review was to assess if dentists’ and patients’ attitudes regarding teledentistry (TD) have changed since the COVID-19 outbreak, and if the use of TD will continue to rise, even in the post-pandemic period; (2) Methods: A literature search was performed between August 2021 and January 2022. The PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases were searched for articles published between 2012 and 2022 using a combination of the following Mesh terms: “COVID-19”, “pandemic”, “oral telemedicine”, “teledentistry”; (3) Results: Among the 52 included papers, nine papers were published between 2011 and 2019, and 43 articles were published after 2020 (12 were published in 2020, 29 papers were published in 2021, and two in 2022). Among the articles published before 2020, seven out of nine included papers were reviews, and two were original research. Among the 43 papers published after 2020, 18 were reviews and 25 original research. (4) Conclusions: Based on the results of this integrative review, there is clear evidence that the interest in teledentistry and teleassistance in the dental field has increased rapidly, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, while dental practitioners should be encouraged to keep themselves updated about new technologies, patients should also be constantly informed about their options for receiving special oral health care.

Telemedicine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Background

COVID-19 has impacted the capacity of healthcare systems worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are already under strain due to population growth and insufficient resources. Since the COVID-19 pandemic's emergence, there has been an urgent need for a rapid and adequate reaction to the pandemic's disruption of healthcare systems. To this end, telemedicine has been shown in prior research to be a feasible approach. The overarching objective of this scoping review was to determine the extent and acceptance of telemedicine in healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This scoping review followed PRISMA guidelines and Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework to identify available evidence. We systematically searched four academic databases for peer-reviewed literature published between January 2020 and April 2021: Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, as well as Google Scholar as a source for grey literature.

Results

The search identified 54 articles with 45,843 participants, including 6,966 healthcare professionals and 36,877 healthcare users. We identified a range of reasons for introducing telemedicine in LMICs during COVID-19, most notably to maintain non-emergency healthcare, enhance access to healthcare providers, and reduce the risk of infection among health users and providers. Overall, healthcare providers and users have shown a high level of acceptance for telemedicine services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine provided access to healthcare in the majority of included articles. Nonetheless, some challenges to accepting telemedicine as a method of healthcare delivery have been reported, including technological, regulatory, and economical challenges.

Conclusion

Telemedicine was found to improve access to high-quality healthcare and decrease infection risk in LMICs during COVID-19. In general, infrastructure and regulatory barriers found to be the most significant barriers to wider telemedicine use, and should be considered when implementing telemedicine more broadly. There appears to be a need to prioritize patient data safety, as many healthcare practitioners utilized commercial apps and services as telemedicine systems. Additionally, it appears as though there is a need to increase capacity, skill, and transparency, as well as to educate patients about telemedicine.

Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Teledentistry among Dental Practitioners during COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives: This systemic review aims to appraise and analyse the awareness, knowledge, attitude, and practice of teledentistry among dental practitioners during COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021283404). Cross-sectional articles on dental practitioners' perceptions towards teledentistry published between March 2020 and September 2021 were searched in ten online databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, EMBASE, SIGLE, EBSCO, LILACS, and Open Grey). The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool was employed to analyse the risk of bias (RoB) of each article, whereas the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine recommendation tool was used to evaluate the level of evidence. Data were analysed using the DerSimonian-Laird random effect model based on a single-arm approach. Results: Six studies were included and demonstrated Level 3 evidence. A single-arm meta-analysis revealed that dental practitioners had a high level of awareness (70.4%) and attitude (72.5%) towards teledentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their knowledge level (57.9%) was moderate with a poor practice level (35.8%). A substantial heterogeneity was observed with the overall I2 ranging from 90.78% to 98.21%. Furthermore, meta-regression indicated that the sample size of each study had a significant (p < 0.05) impact on the degree of data heterogeneity. Conclusions: Despite their high degree of awareness and attitude, dental practitioners demonstrated moderate knowledge and relatively poor practice of teledentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. More well-designed studies are warranted to investigate the alternatives for enhancing dental practitioners' knowledge and practice of teledentistry interventions.

Teledentistry and its applications in paediatric dentistry: A literature review

Background

During the unfortunate event of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions were placed on face-to-face interactions in dentistry to promote social distancing and reduce spread of virus. In order to provide dental services teledentistry was employed.

Objective

This article aims to review the literature and information available on the provision and utilization of teledentistry as a method to address oral health needs of paediatric patients.

Results

Teledentistry has been utilised in paediatric population for the purpose of oral health education and promotion, remote diagnosis and monitoring, and behaviour guidance. Studies involving paediatric population for aforementioned applications have shown that this practice strategy is beneficial to provide dental treatment in remote locations with little access to paediatric dental specialists, monitor patients between appointments, conduct remote diagnosis and screening programmes, promote oral health of children through dental education, and in pre-appointment behaviour guidance. This method was particularly useful during the current COVID-19 pandemic where dentists use their mobile phones, computer webcams for patient appointments while maintaining safe distance and avoid exposing themselves as well as patient to the virus.

Conclusion

Teledentistry can be a supplement to face-to-face methods of paediatric dental care, ultimately leading to better patient management. This technology can make a significant contribution in reducing the supply-demand gap of paediatric dental specialists in places where healthcare facilities are limited and ensure safety during the pandemic whilst providing dental care to paediatric patients. Further research is required for safe, effective and evidence-based use of teledentistry in the field of paediatric dentistry.

"We will have to learn to live with it": Australian dentists' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Australian dentists are among the frontline healthcare workers providing dental and oral health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore have been affected in multiple ways. In this study, we explore their experiences of practising and living in this pandemic.

METHODS

A qualitative study analysed responses of 333 Australian dentists' who participated in a survey with open-ended questions about the challenges and positive outcomes of practising during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questions were embedded in a national online survey of Australian dentists' knowledge, preparedness and experiences conducted between March and April 2021. Data were analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Australian dentists reported their challenging experiences to be four-fold, including 'public health orders and restrictions', 'Infection prevention and control measures (IPC), 'Personal concerns about COVID-19' and 'Detracting opinions about COVID-19'. Conversely, they reported positive outcomes in relation to their practice during COVID-19, including 'Awareness of and adherence to IPC practices', 'Teamwork and interpersonal dynamics', 'Decompressed workload', 'Perceived support' and 'unintended positive outcomes'.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic generated several challenges for Australian dentists, but it also engendered some positive outcomes. Understanding of these can help tailor the professional support plans to address the needs and priorities of Australian dentists during the current and future pandemics.