The perceived facilitators and barriers to the potential adoption of teledentistry among dental care providers in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review
- 1Department of Health Data Science, Division of Health Informatics, SwanseaUniversity, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Abstract
Teledentistry has emerged as a tool that holds great potential to enhance access, efficiency, and continuity of oral healthcare delivery. In Saudi Arabia, its adoption is important in the context of the health transformation programme and Vision 2030, particularly given the high prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren. Despite this potential, actual implementation is still limited. In this context, there is a need to systematically assess the factors influencing its potential adoption from the care providers’ perspectives. This review aimed to systematically identify how dental care providers perceive the facilitators and barriers to the adoption of teledentistry in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the perception of dental care providers, including dental students. Following PRISMA 2020 and SWiM guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched, covering publications up to 4 July 2025. The PICO framework was used to define the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the CASP checklist was used to assess study quality. Data were synthesised using vote counting by direction of effect, categorising findings into facilitators and barriers. Out of 156 records, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. Study quality ranged from 7 to11 out of 11 based on the CASP checklist for cross-sectional studies. Key findings included potential facilitators such as improved access, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, communication and referral enhancements, educational benefits, and positive perception of technology. The key reported barriers were limited awareness and training, infrastructure and equipment reliability, privacy and data security, cost and financial issues, diagnostic accuracy, and the preference for in-person meetings. While teledentistry holds great potential, its integration in Saudi Arabia could be hindered by educational and technical challenges. Addressing them through improved infrastructure, enhanced training and integration into dental curricula, and strengthened regulatory frameworks may facilitate and support equitable adoption.
Related
- Maternity care providers' use of health literacy tools and perceptions of barriers and facilitators
- Healthcare providers’ confidence, satisfaction, and perceived preparedness following a multicomponent simulation-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program in Gaza
- Healthcare providers perceptions of barriers and facilitators to implementation of an acute traumatic brain injury clinical practice guideline: a CFIR-informed qualitative study at a regional referral hospital in Northern Tanzania
- Teledentistry and Its Potential to Reduce Care Inequalities in Dental Implantology: A Scoping Review Using the Access Framework Developed by Levesque et al.
- A preliminary qualitative exploration of perceived barriers and facilitators prior to implementation of a pressure injury prevention program in home care: perspectives of care managers in Japan.
BibTeX
@article{hakami2026perceived,
title = {{The perceived facilitators and barriers to the potential adoption of teledentistry among dental care providers in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review}},
author = {Amjad Hakami and Sarika Mohan},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359436},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359436},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The perceived facilitators and barriers to the potential adoption of teledentistry among dental care providers in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review
AU - Amjad Hakami
AU - Sarika Mohan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359436
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359436
AB - Teledentistry has emerged as a tool that holds great potential to enhance access, efficiency, and continuity of oral healthcare delivery. In Saudi Arabia, its adoption is important in the context of the health transformation programme and Vision 2030, particularly given the high prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren. Despite this potential, actual implementation is still limited. In this context, there is a need to systematically assess the factors influencing its potential adoption from the care providers’ perspectives. This review aimed to systematically identify how dental care providers perceive the facilitators and barriers to the adoption of teledentistry in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the perception of dental care providers, including dental students. Following PRISMA 2020 and SWiM guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched, covering publications up to 4 July 2025. The PICO framework was used to define the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the CASP checklist was used to assess study quality. Data were synthesised using vote counting by direction of effect, categorising findings into facilitators and barriers. Out of 156 records, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. Study quality ranged from 7 to11 out of 11 based on the CASP checklist for cross-sectional studies. Key findings included potential facilitators such as improved access, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, communication and referral enhancements, educational benefits, and positive perception of technology. The key reported barriers were limited awareness and training, infrastructure and equipment reliability, privacy and data security, cost and financial issues, diagnostic accuracy, and the preference for in-person meetings. While teledentistry holds great potential, its integration in Saudi Arabia could be hindered by educational and technical challenges. Addressing them through improved infrastructure, enhanced training and integration into dental curricula, and strengthened regulatory frameworks may facilitate and support equitable adoption.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -