Awareness of Teledentistry Among Patients Visiting an Urban Tertiary Dental Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To determine how much patients of an urban tertiary dental hospital in Karachi, Pakistan know about tele-dentistry, including their understanding of its definition, perception of its benefits, and knowledge of its availability. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Oral Diagnosis, Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan; Feb 2023 to Feb 2024. Methodology: A total of 382 participants were enrolled through non-probability purposive sampling technique. A pre-tested self-administered 12-item questionnaire was used to measure tele-dentistry familiarity, attitudes, and prior experience. Results: Out of 382 participants, 374(98%) had never heard of tele-dentistry. Only 19(5%) had used tele-dentistry before and 344(90%) did not think it would be beneficial for them. A significant statistical Association was found between age and awareness (χ² = 12.86, df = 6, p value = 0.045). However, no significant relationships were found between gender, marital status, educational level, occupation, or area of residence. Conclusion: Dental patients in cities of Pakistan do not knowmuch about tele-dentistry. Since the healthcare sector is going digital and the world is getting more and more hostile, Pakistan needs to start making plans for tele-dentistry in emergencies, running awareness campaigns, and including it in the National Health Vision.