Knowledge, awareness, and perception of digital dentistry among Egyptian dentists: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Digital dentistry has revolutionized the way dental treatment is offered to patients. It became essential for dental practitioners to be well-informed about this technology to improve the quality of care offered and increase patient satisfaction. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, awareness, and perception of Egyptian dentists toward digital dentistry. METHODS: An online-based cross-sectional study was conducted using social media platforms from November 2022 to March 2023. Our study sample included dentists with different levels of experience, specialties, and working in different health sectors in Egypt. A questionnaire arranged in 4 sections and 23 questions was used as the study data collection tool. The data were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 402 participants filled out this questionnaire. 50.7% of which were females, 42.8% were between 20-29 years old and 42.3% were general practitioners. Furthermore, the main practice of 27.6% was in governmental dental clinics. Moreover, 47.3% and 64.2% of participants had Moderate knowledge and awareness respectively. While 75.9% of them had a high perception of practicing digital dentistry. Females and practitioners in governmental clinics had significantly lower awareness scores, while faculty teaching staff had significantly higher scores (P ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, practicing in the Great Cairo region and urban areas was associated with significantly higher knowledge scores (P ≤ 0.05). Similarly, Prosthodontists, periodontists, and restorative dentists had significantly higher scores when compared with general dentists (P ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: About half of the study participants had Moderate knowledge and awareness levels, while about three-quarters of them had a high level of perception toward practicing digital dentistry. Therefore, more attention should be given to providing dental education programs in this important field at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels by policymakers.