To understand the barriers and facilitators of implementing digital oral health programs as perceived by chief dental officers (CDOs) across WHO regions, highlighting the significance of these insights for global health improvement.
Key Findings:
Digital health can enhance patient engagement and access in oral health care, with implications for improving overall health outcomes.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of tele-dentistry, demonstrating the potential for rapid change in health care delivery.
Barriers to digital integration exist at micro, meso, and macro levels across clinical, professional, organizational, and systemic domains, necessitating targeted interventions.
Successful digital health implementation requires organizational and societal readiness, which must be assessed and addressed.
Interpretation:
The study highlights the need for a comprehensive digital oral health strategy that addresses readiness and barriers to implementation, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration and standardization, particularly in overcoming identified challenges.
Limitations:
The study may not capture all regional variations in digital health readiness, which could limit the generalizability of the findings.
Potential biases in responses from CDOs may affect the findings, suggesting the need for caution in interpreting results.
Conclusion:
A global scale-up of digital oral health initiatives is essential for improving care delivery, requiring a system-based approach and readiness assessment to effectively address identified barriers.
