Are Chinese Dentists Ready for the Computerization of Dentistry? A Population Investigation of China's Metropolises
- aDepartment of Prosthodontics, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- bState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- cMoE Key Laboratory for Image Processing & Intelligent Control, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- dKey Laboratory for Oral Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Correspondence: Yining Wang, DDS, 237 Luoyu Road, School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China, 430079; e-mail: <dentisthu{at}163.com> and
- En Luo, DDS, 14# Section 3, Renmin Nan Road, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610041; e-mail: <whussli{at}163.com>
- Received 13 April 2008
- Accepted 28 January 2009
Abstract
The authors studied current levels of computerization in dental clinics and the attitudes of dentists towards dental computerization in metropolises in China. A survey consisting of 22 questions was e-mailed or mailed to a random sample of 354 dentists. Of all respondents, 80.5% reported using a computer in their practice. The authors found that administrative tasks were the first to be computerized. A majority of respondents supported the statement that computerization is a benefit to patient care. The authors found that the computerization of dental clinics in Chinese metropolises is a few years behind that of western nations.
Footnotes
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Supported both by the Open Funding granted by Moe Key Laboratory for Image Processing and Intelligent control, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and by the Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China [Grant No. 2006AA02Z347]. Jian Hu and Hao Yu contributed equally to this work.
