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Chaudhary FA, Ahmad B, Javed MQ, Mustafa S, Fazal A, Javaid MM, Siddiqui AA, Alam MK, Ud Din S. Teledentistry awareness, its usefulness, and challenges among dental professionals in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Digit Health 2022; 8:20552076221089776. [PMID: 35355810 PMCID: PMC8958680 DOI: 10.1177/20552076221089776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study aims to describe the perception of dental professionals in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (SA) towards the practice of teledentistry, its usefulness and challenges. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 190 dentists from January 2021 to April 2021. The participants were included in the study using snowball sampling method. A 26-item adopted questionnaire was distributed using different social media channels. Chi-square test was used for analysis. Results Out of 190 participants, 46.3% were from Pakistan and 53.7% were from SA. The majority of participants in both countries agreed that teledentistry would enhance guidelines and advice (74.2%), improve peer-to-peer interaction (79.5%) and make patient's referrals more efficient (75.8%). For the usefulness, most participants agree that it is economical for the patients (61.1%), improves communication (74.7%), helps in educating the patients (86.3%), avoid unnecessary travel (76.8%), helps monitoring (71.6%), and benefits patients in remote areas (74.7%); however, more Pakistani participants perceived that time spent with the patient would increase compared to SA participants (p < 0.001) and a higher proportion of SA participants believe that it helps in communication and monitoring of patients (p < 0.001) than Pakistani participants. Regarding the challenges in the use of teledentistry, few participants think that it violates the patient's privacy (22.6%) or is difficult to use (14.7%) or have distrust towards the teledentistry equipment (24.2%). Conclusion The results indicated a high awareness and a positive attitude towards teledentistry, and its adaptation in their dental practice in both countries. However, limited infrastructure, set-up cost, and information technology (IT) literacy are the main challenges in integrating teledentistry which can be overcome by strategic government initiatives, policies, and programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farooq Ahmad Chaudhary
- School of Dentistry (SOD), Federal Medical Teaching Institution/PIMS, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Basaruddin Ahmad
- School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad Qasim Javed
- Department of Conservative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Qassim University, Al-Qassim, Saudia Arabia
| | - Saeed Mustafa
- School of Dentistry (SOD), Federal Medical Teaching Institution/PIMS, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ayesha Fazal
- School of Dentistry (SOD), Federal Medical Teaching Institution/PIMS, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Mohsin Javaid
- School of Dentistry (SOD), Federal Medical Teaching Institution/PIMS, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Ammar Ahmed Siddiqui
- College of Dentistry, Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Mohammad Khursheed Alam
- Preventive Dentistry Department, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shahab Ud Din
- School of Dentistry (SOD), Federal Medical Teaching Institution/PIMS, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Maspero C, Abate A, Cavagnetto D, El Morsi M, Fama A, Farronato M. Available Technologies, Applications and Benefits of Teleorthodontics. A Literature Review and Possible Applications during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9061891. [PMID: 32560322 PMCID: PMC7356961 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9061891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: COVID-2019 spread rapidly throughout the world from China. This infection is highly contagiousness, has a high morbidity, and is capable of evolving into a potentially lethal form of interstitial pneumonia. Numerous countries shut-down various activities that were considered “not essential.” Dental treatment was in this category and, at the time of writing, only non-deferrable emergencies are still allowed in many countries. Therefore, follow-up visits of ongoing active therapies (e.g., orthodontic treatment) must be handled taking special precautions. This literature review aims at reducing in-office appointments by providing an overview of the technologies available and their reliability in the long-distance monitoring of patients, i.e., teledentistry. Methods: A literature review was made according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Randomized clinical trials, cross sectional, observational, and case-control studies were evaluated with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for quality assessment and study limitations. Results: A primary search found 80 articles, 69/80 were excluded as non-relevant on the basis of: the abstract, title, study design, bias, and/or lack of relevance. Twelve articles were included in the qualitative analysis. Conclusions: Teleorthodontics can manage most emergencies, reassuring and following patients remotely. The aim set by dental teleassistance was met as it reduced patients’ office visits whilst maintaining regular monitoring, without compromising the results. Although our preliminary findings should be further investigated to objectively evaluate the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and long-term results, we are confident that teleassistance in orthodontics will have a role to play in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Maspero
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-338-334-4999
| | - Andrea Abate
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Cavagnetto
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
| | - Mohamed El Morsi
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Fama
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Farronato
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Milan, 20100 Milan, Italy; (A.A.); (D.C.); (M.E.M.); (A.F.); (M.F.)
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milan, Italy
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