KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS, PERCEPTION OF DIGITAL DENTISTRY AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS - “A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY”

Background: To find gaps in dental students' education and training, it is essential to examine at their perceptions, knowledge, and awareness of digital dentistry. By examining dental students' present knowledge and awareness of digital dentistry and their perceptions of its importance and significance to their future practice, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap. Objectives: To access the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Of Digital Dentistry Among Dental Students.  STUDY POPULATION- Dental Students in Karad region.  STUDY DESIGN- A Questionnaire Study  SAMPLE SIZE- 100 convenience sampling technique  Inclusion Criteria: Fourth-year and Intern dental students who were currently enrolled at the dental school were eligible to participate in the study.  Exclusion Criteria: Students who did not meet the inclusion criteria or those who had not completed their fourth year of dental education were excluded from the study.  STUDY TOOL- 10 set of pre tested questionnaire and demographic details.  DATA COLLECTION- Prior informed consent were obtained to conduct the study from every student who were part of the study.The data collection method used in this study was an online survey using Google Forms. The survey was distributed to the participants via whats-app and was accessible through a unique link. The survey consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions. The data were collected and analyzed using Google Forms' built-in analytics tools, including descriptive statistics and visualizations, to provide a comprehensive overview of the participants' responses. Results:Almost all participants had knowledge about concept of digital dentistry. Results showed that 65% of participants were see themselves using digital dentistry in further career. Results revealed that 71% participants considered that faster diagnosis were main advantage of digital dentistry in future career followed by significant time reduction (63%), better communication (60%), comfort (52%), improved patients experience (49%) and cost (43%) were the other advantages of digital dentistry. Results also showed that 81% of the participated in the study were prefer RVG which is the part of digital dentistry in their dental practice. 72% participants were agreeing on that digital dentistry can improve patient’s outcome in their practice. Conclusion: The results of this study show a favourable outlook on digital dentistry and a willingness to explore new technologies in dentistry. This interest can foster an enriching learning environment, support innovative teaching strategies, and welcome upcoming dental academicians