15 July 2024 : Clinical Research
Assessment of Digital Dentistry Knowledge and Practices Among Dental Students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Farooq Umer1ACDEF*, Muhammad Faheemuddin2ACDEF, Yazeed Ali Alshehri3BCFG, Abdulmalik Abdullah Algosaibi3BCFG, Abdulaziz Ali Alojail3ABDG, Abdullaziz Abdullah Althani3ABFG, Mohammed Abdulrahim Alnaim3ABDG, Sami Abdullah Alharbi3ABFGDOI: 10.12659/MSM.944692
Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e944692
Table 1 Responses of the participants regarding their knowledge and awareness of digital dentistry.
| Variable | Answer | N (%) |
|---|---|---|
| How skillful are you with computers? | Very good | 43 (35.8) |
| Good | 75 (62.5) | |
| Non | 2 (1.7) | |
| Do you have any previous knowledge on digital dentistry? | Yes | 76 (63.3) |
| No | 44 (36.7) | |
| The field that uses digital dentistry the most is… | General dentistry | 31 (25.8) |
| Periodontics | 5 (4.2) | |
| Prosthodontics | 39 (32.5) | |
| Maxillofacial surgery | 11 (9.2) | |
| Orthodontics | 22 (18.3) | |
| Endodontology/restorative dentistry | 12 (10.0) | |
| Does digital dentistry provide more precise results than conventional dentistry? | Yes | 110 (91.7) |
| No | 10 (8.3) | |
| How much do you think digital dentistry improves work efficiency in the dental laboratory? | A lot | 97 (80.8) |
| Some | 23 (19.2) | |
| Very little | 00 (0.0) | |
| Has digital dentistry replaced traditional dentistry? | Yes | 101 (84.2) |
| No | 19 (15.8) | |
| Does your curriculum include a course on Digital Dentistry? | Yes | 18 (15.0) |
| No | 88 (73.3) | |
| I don’t know | 14 (11.7) | |
| Are there any dental schools that teach digital dentistry in their BDS curriculum in Saudi Arabia? | Most of them | 12 (10.0) |
| A few | 69 (57.5) | |
| None | 39 (32.5( | |
| Do you think that the widespread implementation of digital technologies will have a negative effect on the number of employees in dental laboratories? | Yes | 104 (86.7) |
| No | 16 (13.3) | |
| How do you know about digital dentistry? | Friends | 18 (15.2) |
| College | 27 (22.2) | |
| Media | 51 (42.5) | |
| Textbooks | 14 (11.7) | |
| Conferences and workshops | 10 (8.3) | |
| Does digital dentistry require skills and training? | Yes | 89 (74.2) |
| No | 31 (25.8) | |
| What materials can be processed using dental technology? | Ceramic | 71 (59.2) |
| Polymers | 12 (10.0) | |
| Alloys/metals | 10 (8.3) | |
| All of the above | 16 (13.3) | |
| I don’t know | 8 (6.7) | |
| Did you know about CAD/CAM? | Yes | 97 (80.8) |
| No | 23 (19.2) | |
| Did you know about 3D? | Yes | 24 (20.0) |
| No | 96 (80.0) |