ACCESS TO ORAL MEDICINE: PERCEPTIONS OF WASHINGTON STATE DENTAL PROVIDERS ON USING TELEHEALTH TO DELIVER ORAL MEDICINE SPECIALTY TREATMENT TO THEIR PATIENTS

ObjectivesTelehealth has provided increased specialty access to patients and health care providers; however, it is currently being underutilized to deliver oral medicine. In this study, we aim to assess the telehealth-related perspectives of licensed oral health providers in the state of Washington and their likelihood to utilize telehealth for oral medicine services.Study DesignA cross-sectional, confidential, online survey study was performed with data collected via REDCap. Emails were distributed to 8427 licensed dentists and dental hygienists provided by the Washington State Department of Health public records. Analyses included descriptive statistics, means and standard deviations, as well as a hierarchical multiple regression modeled by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) system of the theoretical domains framework.ResultsAmong the 927 participants who initiated the survey (11% response rate), 563 (57%) were included in the analysis based on level of completeness. Dental providers indicated a significant lack of adequate access to oral medicine services (mean [M]= 2.16, standard deviation [SD] = 1.70 on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating strong agreement) and a significant likelihood to use telehealth to deliver oral medicine (adjusted: M = 71.30, SD = 25.38 on a 100-mm VAS scale, with 100 being very likely). Within the capabilities, opportunity and motivation domains, motivation was the domain most strongly associated with higher likelihood to use telehealth to deliver oral medicineConclusionsWe identified oral health providers' lack of access to oral medicine in Washington State and their willingness to use a telehealth program to deliver oral medicine. Benefits and barriers indicated by providers in this survey may inform the development of a telehealth program where a multidisciplinary team can support other dental providers in the integrated delivery of oral medicine to their patients across Washington State.