A Study to Assess Patients' Perception and Acceptance of Teledentistry for Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sony Saraswati; Devleena Bhowmick; Kumari Upasana; Kumari S Pravin; Saransh Srivastava; Smita

doi:10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_77_22

A Study to Assess Patients' Perception and Acceptance of Teledentistry for Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic

J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2022 Jul;14(Suppl 1):S511-S513. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_77_22. Epub 2022 Jul 13.

Authors

Sony Saraswati¹, Devleena Bhowmick², Kumari Upasana³, Kumari S Pravin⁴, Saransh Srivastava⁵, Smita⁶

Affiliations

¹ Consultant Prosthodontist, Dental Implant & Laser Clinic, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India.
² Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, PDM Dental College and Research Institute, Bahadurgarh, Jhajjar, Haryana, India.
³ Department of Dentistry, Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India.
⁴ Department of Prosthodontics, Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospitals, Patna, Bihar, India.
⁵ Department of Periodontology, School of Dental Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁶ Consultant Endodontist, Private Dental Practice, Nalanda, Bihar, India.

Abstract

Background: With the aim of preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), teledentistry allows for the follow-up of patients who can be remotely monitored, decreasing patient mobilization and reducing the risk of virus dissemination. The aim of this cross-sectional pilot survey was to assess patients' perception and acceptance of a teledentistry program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods: Demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded, and a 24-question survey was completed. A Chi-square test and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were performed with a significance level set at P ≤ 0.05.

Results: Forty-eight percent patients declared an interest in the use of a teledentistry. Furthermore, 45% participants preferred this type of visit to a conventional dental visit.

Conclusion: Our study showed that teledentistry appears to meet the expectations and needs of our patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; survey; tele (oral) medicine; teledentistry; telehealth; telemedicine; televisit.