ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF TELEDENTISTRY DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SOUTHERN SAUDI ARABIA

Introduction: The pandemic created a new communication tool, namely teledentistry, applied in different dental fields all around the world. The aim and objective of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of teledentistry during COVID-19 among dentists in Southern Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: A questionnaire including 20 questions was elaborated, validated and circulated electronically by social media channels like WhatsApp, or by and emails sent to Southern Saudi Arabia dentists from various fields. Data was collected and analyzed with a statistical software. Results and discussion: Most of the respondents showed positive behavior towards all domains of the questionnaire, including knowledge, attitude and practice of teledentistry. Out of 839 participants, 532 were familiar with this term, and most of them (64.4%) are practising it during the pandemic of COVID-19. Conclusions: Teledentristy is an emerging technique having the ability to improve the delivery of dental care diagnosis for communities with limited or no access to specialists. Accordingly, there is a need for improvement in its practising among the Saudi dental community.