Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42751315›Full record

ArticleJournal of medicine and life2026

Digital technology adoption in dentistry: a comparative analysis of utilization, motivations, and barriers among dentists in Sibiu County, Romania.

Andrei Andronic, Ionela Maniu, Maria Popa, Victoria Birlutiu

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medicine and life, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Andrei AndronicDental Medicine and Nursing Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania.
Ionela ManiuDepartment of Mathematics and Informatics, Research Center in Informatics and Information Technology, Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania.
Maria PopaDental Medicine and Nursing Department, Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania.
Victoria BirlutiuFaculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technologies has transformed dental practice by improving diagnostic accuracy, treatment quality, workflow efficiency, and patient management. However, the extent of technology adoption and the factors influencing its implementation vary considerably among dental professionals. This study aimed to evaluate the utilization of digital technologies among dentists in Sibiu County, Romania, compare adoption patterns between 2022 and 2025, and investigate the motivations and barriers associated with their implementation. We performed comparative statistical and network analyses to explore relationships among technologies, motivations, and obstacles. Patient scheduling and management software remained the most widely used digital technology in both survey periods, while intraoral scanners showed the greatest increase in adoption. Improvement of treatment quality, keeping pace with technological advancements, access to innovative materials and techniques, and increased productivity were identified as the main motivations for technology adoption. High acquisition and implementation costs remained the principal barrier in both surveys. User satisfaction was high across all technologies investigated, and most respondents expressed intentions to invest in digital technologies in the future. Network analysis revealed interrelationships among technologies, motivations, and barriers, and, in 2025 compared with 2022, indicated a maturation of the digitalization process. The adoption of digital technologies in dental practice increased between 2022 and 2025, reflecting the ongoing digital transformation of dentistry. Technology implementation was driven primarily by perceived clinical and professional benefits rather than by pandemic-related factors, while financial constraints remained the most important obstacle to wider adoption.

Indexed as

DentistryDentistsDigital TechnologyMotivationDigital HealthHumansRomaniaSurveys and Questionnaires3D, three-dimensionaladoption motivationsbarriers to adoptionCAD/CAM, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturingCOVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019dental practitionersdigital dentistrydigital technologiesdigital transformationEBIC, extended Bayesian information criterionGGM, Gaussian graphical modelgLASSO, graphical least absolute shrinkage and selection operatorM1, reduction of operational costsM2, improvement of treatment qualityM3, improving the dentist–patient relationshipM4, increased clinical productivityM5, keeping pace with technological advancementsM6, access to innovative materials and treatment techniquesM7, improved communication and workflow with the dental laboratoryM8, marketing and practice promotion purposesM9, impact of the COVID-19 pandemicM, motivation itemnetwork analysisO1, high cost of acquisition and implementationO2, limited awareness of the advantages of digital technologiesO3, inadequate infrastructureO4, insufficient theoretical and practical trainingO5, lack of time for education and skill developmentO6, difficulty adapting to and using digital technologiesO7, preference for conventional clinical methodsO, obstacle itemRomaniaSD, standard deviationTD1, patient scheduling and management softwareTD2, practice/clinic management softwareTD3, intraoral scannersTD4, CAD/CAM systemsTD5, digital occlusal analysis toolsTD6, three-dimensional printersTD, technology adoption itemtechnology adoption

Identifiers

PMID42751315
PMCPMC13580526

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.