Dentists' opinions on using digital technologies in dental practice.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Health Informatics
• Technology Adoption

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing digital technology adoption among dentists is crucial for optimizing dental practice.
• Previous research has explored technology implementation, but a comprehensive analysis of dentist opinions and motivating work aspects in relation to technology use is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the opinions of dentists associated with their level of technology use.
• To analyze the influence of dentist characteristics, practice attributes, and motivating work aspects on technology adoption.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was distributed to 1000 general dental practitioners in the Netherlands.
• Technology use was categorized into low, intermediate, and high user groups.
• Principal component analysis, exploratory factor analysis, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multiple linear regression were employed for analysis.

Main Results:

• High technology users perceived greater improvements in care quality, practice value, and ease of use compared to low users.
• High technology users reported higher skills, resources, and motivation from immediate results and craftsmanship.
• Focus on technology and perceived added value were significantly associated with higher technology use.

Conclusions:

• Dentist opinions on digital technologies and motivating work aspects are linked to their level of technology adoption.
• A greater focus on technology and perceived added value are key drivers for increased digital technology use in dental practices.
• Personal, practice, and motivational factors collectively explain a significant portion of the variance in technology use among dentists.