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

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a new scenario for dental practice, and teledentistry (TD) is a field of relevance for dentists.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the knowledge, practices, and expectations of dentists toward TD and its association with sociodemographic variables.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to dentists in Colombia as part of global research on the impact of COVID-19 on dentistry. The core questionnaire included 5 additional questions on TD that were added by the Colombian research team in 5 domains about TD: Q1, knowledge; Q2, practices; Q3, expectations; Q4, usefulness; and Q5, reimbursement. Sociodemographic variables were also measured. The questionnaire was validated in a pilot test and administered via digital media. Descriptive and bivariate analysis for sociodemographic and TD variables were done. For the evaluation of the chances of a determined answer, an ordinal multinomial logistic regression (Q1 and Q2) and binomial logistic regression (Q3 and Q5) analyses were made.

Results: In total, 5,370 dentists answered the survey (women: 3,878; mean age: 45 y). The response rate of the survey was 16.84%. Knowledge and practice of TD before the COVID-19 pandemic were both low (25.75% and 12.42%, respectively); however, since the beginning of the current pandemic, knowledge increased by 62.72% and practice by 42.53%. Some 93.1% of respondents considered that TD could be useful in their clinical practice, and 59.55% would consider practicing it after the pandemic. A high number of dentists (88.58%) did not charge for these services. Logistic regressions showed significant differences according to sociodemographic variables.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on TD, increasing knowledge and practice significantly. Dentists expect to continue practicing TD in the future. However, some geographical, technological, and attitudinal barriers need to be broken down to increase daily use of TD.

Knowledge transfer statement: This article provides an overview about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the knowledge and attitudes about teledentistry (TD) in general dentists and both clinical and nonclinical specialists. Although some barriers to the use of TD continue, this pandemic brought with it a new scenario for dental practice, which must be implemented through training for professionals to increase its use.

Keywords: coronavirus infections; cross-sectional studies; dental health surveys; health knowledge; practice; telemedicine.