Assessing Undergraduate Dental Students’ Knowledge and Awareness of Digital Dentistry

Abstract

Background: The rapid development of digital technology has transformed various aspects of dentistry, making digital dentistry an essential component of modern dental education. The aim of this study was to assess undergraduate dental students’ awareness and knowledge of digital dentistry, their familiarity with digital workflows and tools, and their perceived importance in clinical practice.

Methods: A web-based online survey was conducted among 237 dental students at different stages of education (preclinical and clinical) to assess their awareness and knowledge of digital dentistry. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the numerical and ratio data. Relationships between categorical variables were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test and the FreemanHalton/Fisher’s exact test. Significance was set at P < .05.

Results: About 93% of the students thought that digital dental technologies contribute to facilitating the work of dentists and laboratory processes, and 95% stated that they would prefer to use current dental technologies in the institution or clinic where they will work in the future. However, 52% of the students are not knowledgeable about the clinical use of intraoral scanners, 54% about the use of 3-dimensional printers in dentistry, and 55% about materials produced using digital technologies.

Conclusion: Undergraduate dental students recognized the importance of digital dentistry and preferred to work with modern technologies, but many lacked practical knowledge of key digital tools. This highlighted the need for improved education and practical training in digital workflows within the dental curriculum.

Cite this article as: Arıkan-Kalaycı H, Yapalak E, Erkut S. Assessing undergraduate dental students’ knowledge and awareness of digital dentistry. Essent Dent. 2026, 5, 0049, doi:10.5152/EssentDent.2026.25049.