End-user acceptance of a cloud-based teledentistry system and Android phone app for remote screening for oral diseases

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate users’ acceptance of a teledentistry model utilizing a smartphone camera used for dental caries screening and to identify a number of areas for improvement of the system. Methods A store-and-forward telemedicine platform “Remote-I” was developed to assist in the screening of oral diseases using an image acquisition Android app operated by 17 teledental assistants. A total of 485 images (five images per case) were directly transmitted from the Android app to the server. A panel of five dental practitioners (graders) assessed the images and reported their diagnosis. A user acceptance survey was sent to the graders and smartphone users following completion of the screening program. Results Of the 22 surveys sent out, 20 (91%) were completed. Generally, users showed optimism towards the use of the teledentistry system, and strongly positively assessed items on content and service quality. The majority of graders took less than 15 min to read the images while phone users took 5–10 min to complete the dental photography using the Android app. This study identified a number of factors that are essential for improving the current system, such as optimization of smartphone camera features, the format of the server, and the orientation of images and using oral retractors during photography. Conclusions Users appear to be generally satisfied with the proposed teledentistry model. However, they have specific concerns to address, many of which could be resolved through more effective training, coordination between sites and upgrading the current system.