[In Press] Dental clinicians' perceptions on the use of tele-dentistry consultations during COVID-19 within public dental clinics in Sydney, Australia

T. Mahony, C. Wang, A. Coilparampil, A. Kong, T. Patterson-Norrie, A. Villarosa, A. George, A. Yaacoub

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Although well accepted by clinicians and patients, teledentistry is not currently a widely used model of care within Australian public oral health services. This qualitative study aimed to review and evaluate dental clinicians' perceptions, by determining the acceptability and appropriateness of teledentistry as a model of care. Methods: A purposive sample of 12 public dental practitioners employed by a Local Health District in Sydney, and who had participated in teledentistry consultations, were recruited to participate in focus groups. Focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Teledentistry was a novel concept for most participants and was well accepted. Participants valued the use of a standardized consultation template as well as effective communication with other dental clinicians to support the practice of teledentistry. However, many found attempting contact with patients over the telephone difficult as well as the perceived patient frustration with the administration process and technological difficulties experienced. Conclusion: Teledentistry has the potential for growth and expansion in the public health system. From the opinions in this study, the authors propose further research is needed into the efficacy of teledentistry to assist with the development of a model of care that would be beneficial for dental clinicians and their patients.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages12
JournalAustralian Dental Journal
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2023 The Authors. Australian Dental Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Dental Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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