Knowledge, awareness and attitude among practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeons towards tele-dentistry: A...

Tele-dentistry can be defined as the utilization of digital and telecommunication technologies to facilitate remote dental care. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness and practices related to tele-dentistry among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye using a cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was distributed to approximately 900 members of the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Society (AÇBİD) in Türkiye, and responses from 152 participants were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (p < 0.05). Although 46.1% of respondents reported familiarity with tele-dentistry, only 9.9% had prior experience with it. Overall awareness was moderate and attitudes toward future applications were generally positive; however, actual clinical utilization remained limited. Academic title was the only variable significantly associated with prior awareness and utilization, although the strength of this association was modest and its confidence intervals were wide. None of the predictor variables demonstrated a statistically significant association with the participants' intention to use tele-dentistry in the future. These findings indicate that oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye are receptive to tele-dentistry but have limited practical exposure. Barriers to implementation may include insufficient training, data security concerns, diagnostic reliability issues, and lack of institutional support. Strengthening specialty training and developing system-level frameworks may support broader adoption in clinical practice. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine tele-dentistry-related knowledge, awareness, and practices among oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Türkiye.