Teledentistry: Dental hygiene students' knowledge, attitudes, and curriculum recommendations

Purpose: Research has shown an increase in dental hygiene (DH) students' knowledge and attitudes toward teledentistry (TD) after TD training in states with permissive but not restrictive DH scope of practice policies. The purpose of this study was to identify self-reported knowledge and attitudes regarding TD among the DH students at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill before and after an educational intervention and student recommendations for TD curriculum placement. Methods: A faculty presentation and video demonstration, followed by small group discussions and a large group debriefing session were conducted at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry in March 2019. Participants were invited to complete a survey before and after the educational session. McNemar's matched pair test was used to compare the proportion of the participants' pre- and post-test responses. Results: Survey participants (n=30) included first year and second year DH students. There was significant difference (p Conclusion: The educational session resulted in increased self-reported knowledge and demonstrated positive attitudes toward the adoption of TD into multiple facets of DH curriculum. A major barrier to its adoption into practice is the DH restricted scope of practice in NC. Keywords: teledentistry, dental hygiene students, dental hygiene education, access to care This manuscript supports the NDHRA priority area of Professional development: Education (evaluation). Submitted for publication: 8/23/20; accepted: 2/18/21
Introduction Teledentistry (TD) is the use of technology to communicate health information, provide oral health care services, screen, and educate remotely between oral health care providers and patients. (1) This [...]