DENTAL PROFESSIONALS' PERCEPTION OF MODERN COMMUNICATION TRENDS INCLUDING SOCIAL PLATFORMS BETWEEN DENTIST AND PATIENT
Keywords:
Dentist, Patient, Communication skills, Social mediaAbstract
Purpose: We set out to explore attitudes among dentists regarding acceptable means and methods of communicating on professional issues with patients.
A cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting data through a questionnaire survey among 195 dental practitioners, including both general dentists and specialists. For the purpose of the study, respondents were divided into 4 groups according to their years of work experience. The research team designed a survey that was completed voluntarily and anonymously by all participants. The data were entered and processed with the statistical packages IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0. and MedCalc Version 23.4.5. Descriptive statistics were performed and for greater clarity, graphs were developed using Excel of Microsoft Office 2021.
The results show that 95.4% of the respondents indicated that the telephone connection with a number indicated for contact with the office was an acceptable channel for doctors for communication between doctor and patient; in second place is “Reading in Viber” with 68.2%, followed by “Writing personal messages (47.7%); the smallest percentage is “Reading in Facebook” (28.7%). The preferred time for doctors to contact patients (88.20%) is during the day through official channels. Regarding the use of social media for professional referral of patients, the answers were distributed as follows: the most frequently (42.6%) indicated answer was “It is not professional to discuss medical issues through social media”, followed by “Yes, I correspond with them on Viber” with 42.1%; the least frequently (21.5%) selected answer was “Yes, I communicate with them on professional topics on Facebook”.
Modern anthropology has proven that people are able to perceive only what they can and are willing to perceive. Therefore, communication between a dentist and a patient is a complex process, because it involves two participants with different positions and requirements for the other. The doctor must have developed skills to manage the communication process, to activate the patient to enter this process as an equal participant and to maintain the process in development with a positive outcome.
References
Acosta, J. M., Detsomboonrat, P., Pisarnturakit, P. P., & Urwannachotima, N. (2025). The use of social media on enhancing dental care and practice among dental professionals: Cross-sectional survey study. JMIR Formative Research, 9, e66121.
Georgieva, G., Keremedchieva, S., & Enchev, M. (2023). Factors influencing the communication between dental specialists and patients. Scripta Scientifica Medicinae Dentalis, 9(2), 7–10.
Hartshorne, J. (2022). Trust and the dentist-patient relationship. International Dentistry – African Edition, 12(4), 1–9.
Ho, J. C. Y., Chai, H. H., Lo, E. C. M., Huang, M. Z., & Chu, C. H. (2024). Strategies for effective dentist-patient communication: A literature review. Patient Preference and Adherence, 18, 1385–1394.
Ho, J. C. Y., Chai, H. H., Luo, B. W., Lo, E. C. M., Huang, M. Z., & Chu, C. H. (2025). An overview of dentist–patient communication in quality dental care. Dentistry Journal, 13(1), 31.
Jones, L. M., & Huggins, T. J. (2014). Empathy in the dentist-patient relationship: Review and application. The New Zealand Dental Journal, 110(3), 98–104.
Khalifah, A. M., & Celenza, A. (2019). Teaching and assessment of dentist-patient communication skills: A systematic review to identify best-evidence methods. Journal of Dental Education, 83, 16–31.
King, A., & Hoppe, R. B. (2013). “Best practice” for patient-centered communication: A narrative review. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 5, 385–393.
Mocydlarz-Adamcewicz, M. (2021). Effective communication between hospital staff and patients in compliance with personal data protection regulations. Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy, 26(6), 833–838.
Quaranta, A. (Alex), D’Isidoro, O., Bhargava, N., & Hui, W. L. (2026). Communication in dentistry: The 6 Cs of high-impact communication and the communication matrix. Annali di Stomatologia, 17(2), 398–405. https://doi.org/10.59987/ads/2026.2.398-405
Rønneberg, A., Nordgarden, H., Skaare, A. B., & Willumsen, T. (2019). Barriers and factors influencing communication between dental professionals and Child Welfare Services in their everyday work. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 29(6), 684–691. https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12507
Taylor, J. A. (2025). Private messaging with patients. BDJ Team, 12, 42–43.
Yuan, S., Freeman, R., Hill, K., Newton, T., & Humphris, G. (2020). Communication, trust and dental anxiety: A person-centred approach for dental attendance behaviours. Dentistry Journal, 8(4), 118.
