Saudi Electronic Caries Assessment Tool (SECAT) Development: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Dental caries presents a global public health challenge, especially in Saudi Arabia's remote regions with limited healthcare access.
• Traditional paper-based data collection methods for dental epidemiology are inefficient, necessitating mobile solutions for resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the Saudi Electronic Caries Assessment Tool (SECAT), a user-centered mobile application for dental caries data collection in remote areas.
• To assess the feasibility and usability of a mobile application for enhancing dental surveillance in underserved populations.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods feasibility study involved requirement gathering via interviews with dental professionals.
• The SECAT application was developed using Flutter and Supabase, followed by usability testing with clinicians and a heuristic evaluation by domain experts.

Main Results:

• The SECAT app achieved 82% overall clinician satisfaction, with 78% endorsing its user-friendly design.
• Usability testing confirmed the app's utility in remote settings and its offline functionality.
• Improvements included automated tooth recognition and enhanced visualization; limitations noted were color contrast and index calculation.

Conclusions:

• The SECAT mobile application demonstrates high satisfaction and acceptability among dental providers for data collection in remote locations.
• The tool is particularly valuable for areas with limited internet connectivity, supporting dental surveillance and public health programs.
• SECAT offers a promising digital solution for caries assessment in remote areas, schools, and community-based dental health initiatives.