A study by Western University researchers Rocco Cheuk and Dr. Abbas Jessani shows only 49 per cent of dentists in Ontario used teledentistry to provide care to patients during the pandemic.
The study was published in BMC Oral Health and based on a Schulich Dentistry Research Opportunity Program (SDROP) project by Cheuk, a third-year undergraduate student at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and supervised by Jessani. The study also found “almost 54 per cent reported a lack of interest as the most common reason for not using teledentistry,” according to Western News.
Other interesting facts to come out of the research include:
- female dental professionals were more likely to adapt teledentistry
- 13 per cent of dentists using teledentistry had adopted it before the pandemic
- survey respondents agreed teledentistry is a great tool for educating patients about treatment
