ABSTRACT
There have been substantial advances in the field of information technology (IT) which has led to the development of computer networks which allow access to an enormous amount of data. In 1971, computer was first introduced in dentistry and since then it has positively impacted the dental students’ attitudes and perceptions towards information technology. METHODSA pretested, structured, multisection electronic survey (e-survey) form was used which was prepared using Google Forms. The questionnaire was distributed among a group of people by forwarding and posting of Google survey form link through WhatsApp groups, sending an invitation via e-mail, and distribution of printed questionnaires to health professionals to participate in the study. Data was automatically collected in Google Drive. Necessary statistical analysis was performed using the statistical software package SPSS (Chicago, IL, USA) version 22.0 for MS Windows & P < 0.05. RESULTSThe response rate was higher among females than males i.e. 57% and 43% for females and males respectively. Among participants, students were highest in number (35%) followed by academicians (30%), self-employed (26%) and lowest was associate health professionals (9%). When asked about making computer training a part of the undergraduate curriculum, a majority (84%) of respondents suggested ‘Yes’, few (12%) suggested ‘No’ and only ‘very few’ (4%) were uncertain. CONCLUSIONSResults of this study highlighted the fact that there was easy access to a computer and internet among dental health professionals in India. Many potential applications of information technology in dentistry depend on the familiarity of the health professional to computers and advancing technology.