SynthesisPloS one2026
The perceived facilitators and barriers to the potential adoption of teledentistry among dental care providers in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.