Patients' Readiness Towards Teledentistry in the Malaysian Urban Population Attending an Undergraduate Teaching University.

Introduction: COVID-19 disease has resulted in suspension of all nonurgent routine dental treatments. In view of COVID-19 situation, social distancing, movement restriction orders, and affected health care systems, there is an urgent need to resume and deliver oral health care remotely. Hence, alternative means of dental care should be available for both patients and dentists. Therefore, this study aims to assess patients' readiness for teledentistry in Malaysian urban population attending an undergraduate teaching university. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 631 adult patients visiting the Faculty of Dentistry, SEGi University, from January 2020 to May 2021 in Selangor, Malaysia. A validated, self-administered, 5-point Likert scale online questionnaire comprising five domains was administered. (1) Patients' demographics and dental history, (2) patients' access to teledentistry, (3) patients' understanding towards teledentistry, (4) patients' willingness, and (5) barriers in using teledentistry were used to collect the required information. Results: Six hundred and thirty-one (n = 631) participants responded to the questionnaire. Ninety percent of patients were able to connect to Wi-Fi services independently and 77% participants were comfortable using online communication platforms. Seventy-one percent of the participants agreed that video and telephone clinics can reduce chances of infection rather than face-to-face consultation during the pandemic. Fifty-five percent of patients felt that virtual clinics would save time and 60% thought it could reduce travelling costs. Fifty-one percent showed their willingness to use video or telephone clinics when implemented at onsite clinics. Conclusion: Our study shows the readiness of patients to accept teledentistry as an alternative method of oral care if appropriate training and education are provided. The results of this study have prompted an increase in patients' education and shown a need to train clinicians and patients to integrate this technology at SEGi University. This might facilitate unhindered dental consultation and care in all situations.

Assessment of quality improvement of simulation-based learning using an evidence-based framework in dental education.

INTRODUCTION: Simulation-based education is of paramount importance in a dental pre-clinical setting. Hence, continuous quality improvement is crucial to optimize students' knowledge and clinical skills. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of evidence-based simulation learning (EBSL) compared with traditional-based simulation learning (TBSL) using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quality improvement project was undertaken at a private university. Guided by the PDSA model, rubber dam application tasks were conducted in the simulation lab in 2 phases. Phase 1 included TBSL and phase 2 included EBSL comprising of 2 PDSA cycles. 'Plan' stage involved obtaining feedback from students and the concerned staff. 'Do' stage included implementation of EBSL in eight steps adopted from Higgins's framework. 'Study' stage evaluated the outcomes and in 'Act' stage amendments were made to the first EBSL cycle. In the second PDSA cycle re-implementation and evaluation of the rubber dam application exercises were carried out. Descriptive data were presented as percentages and mean scores were compared using paired t-test. RESULTS: Thirty-seven year 2 students participated in this study. A significant improvement in the mean scores was observed between TBSL and EBSL (3.02 + 0.16 and 3.91 + 0.27, respectively, p < .001) using PDSA model with the highest mean score for rubber dam application in the second PDSA cycle for EBSL (4.00 + 0.01). Ninety-five per cent of the students provided positive feedback pertaining to EBSL. CONCLUSION: EBSL was effective in achieving high student satisfaction, desired knowledge, and skills required during simulation-based exercises. The PDSA cycle can be considered to optimize pre-clinical skills learning.