A preliminary comparison of speech recognition functionality in dental practice management systems

Area of Science:

• Dental Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Speech Recognition Technology

Background:

• Dental practice management systems are increasingly incorporating advanced technologies.
• Speech recognition offers potential for efficient data entry in clinical settings.
• Evaluating the usability and efficiency of these systems is crucial for adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the speech recognition functionality in leading dental practice management systems.
• To quantify the time and accuracy associated with voice charting in dentistry.
• To identify barriers to the adoption of speech recognition in dental software.

Main Methods:

• Twenty dental students participated in the study.
• Participants used voice commands to chart 18 simulated patient findings across four different systems.
• Performance metrics included time per finding and command repetition frequency.

Main Results:

• Charting a single dental finding via voice command exceeded one minute on average.
• Users frequently encountered the need to repeat voice commands.
• Significant issues with limited functionality, poor usability, and high error rates were observed.

Conclusions:

• Current speech recognition technology in dental practice management systems presents significant usability challenges.
• The observed inefficiency and high error rates are major impediments to the widespread adoption of voice charting in dentistry.
• Further development is needed to improve functionality and accuracy for effective integration into dental workflows.