The Use of Teledentistry for Patient Care among Dentists in Nigeria

Objectives: To determine the proportion of Nigerian dentists presently utilising Teledentistry, factors affecting its use, means of communication and devices used and their opinions on it acceptability, effectiveness and suitability in dental practice. Methods: A Survey Monkey online poll was used to collect data on participants’ demographics, their use of Teledentistry, perceived benefits and challenges of Teledentistry, as well as opinions on its acceptability, effectiveness, and suitability. The chi-square test was used to determine statistically significant differences between groups. Results: Out of 119 participants, 62.2% do not currently utilize Teledentistry. Less than half (42.6%) with internet access at work and 12.5% with internet access only at home utilize Teledentistry (P=0.016). Cell phones and personal computers are the only devices used but 60% of participants in public health care used cell phones (P= 0.425). The majority (94.9%) of the study participants agreed that Teledentistry can be used to connect patients with specialist care that may not be readily available but only 47.1% agreed to the use of Teledentistry for specialized care of patients. Eighty-four per cent agreed that the cost of telecommunications equipment for Teledentistry can be a cause for concern and 66.4% agreed that privacy is still a concern in Teledentistry. Conclusion: The use of Teledentistry among Nigerian dentists is currently low and access to the Internet during work hours may increase Teledentistry utilisation. Cell phones and personal computers are commonly used in both public and private dental centers. Although many Nigerian dentists consider Teledentistry effective, there are a few concerns about its acceptability and suitability for use in their dental practice