Knowledge, Awareness and Practices of the use of Digital Technology in Dentistry among Postgraduate Students and Dental Practitioners in India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Currently, digital dentistry is an umbrella topic that predominantly includes the areas of intraoral scanning, Three-dimensional (3D) printing and Computer-aided Designing/ Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM). It allows the transfer of information between physical and digital data, with the significant advantage of easing the transition process and increasing efficiency. Digital technology is a crucial component of modern dentistry which has a significant influence on our present and future dental practice.

Aim: To assess the knowledge, awareness and practices of the use of digital technology and its implications in dentistry among dental postgraduate students and dental practitioners.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire based online survey was undertaken at KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences, Belagavi, Karnataka, India between April 2021 and July 2021 amongst dental practitioners and dental postgraduate students of different regions across India. The questionnaire consisted of 21 questions which evaluated their awareness towards digital dentistry, its advantages and shortcomings, their knowledge and practices towards digital dentistry. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test in each group, using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Of total 270, 261 respondents (96.67%) were aware of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry. A total of 237 respondents (87.78%) felt that the lack of knowledge was one of the shortcomings of CAD/CAM with a p-value=0.039 rather than its high cost (184 respondents 68.15%, p-value=0.009) and there was a need to increase the knowledge and understanding regarding the same. A total of 252 respondents (93.33%) were of the opinion that digital technology is the future of dentistry and it will have a positive impact on our profession and 83.59% respondents felt that digital technology would have a role to play in the current COVID-19 scenario. The teaching faculty (92.86%), showed better understanding about the digital technology compared to private practitioners (66.22%) and postgraduate students (62.59%).

Conclusion: In the given set of participants, most of the participants were aware about digital technology which shows a satisfactory outcome. The teaching faculty showed better understanding about the digital technology compared to private practitioners and postgraduate students. However, to make them acquainted with CAD/CAM, dental education programmes and workshops should be conducted which will create a future generation of dentists who will be well-versed with digital dentistry. With so much room to grow, it will help dentists to work as one and deliver the absolute best care to their patients and create a better tomorrow.