Objective Measure the adoption and utilization of, and opinions about and attitudes towards, clinical computing among general dentists in the U.S.

Design Telephone survey of a random sample of 256 general dentists in active practice in the U.S.

Measurements 39-item telephone interview measuring practice characteristics and information technology infrastructure; clinical information storage; data entry and access; attitudes and opinions towards clinical computing (features of practice management systems, barriers, advantages, disadvantages and potential improvements); clinical Internet use; and attitudes towards the National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII).

Results We successfully screened 1,039 of 1,159 randomly sampled U.S. general dentists in active practice (89.6 percent response rate). Two hundred fifty six (24.6 percent) respondents had computers at chairside, and thus were eligible for this study. We successfully interviewed 102 respondents, or 39.8 percent. Clinical information associated with administration and billing, such as appointments and treatment plans, was stored predominantly on the computer; other information, such as the medical history and progress notes, primarily resided on paper. Nineteen respondents, or 1.8 percent of all general dentists, were completely paperless. Auxiliary personnel, such as dental assistants and hygienists, entered most data. Respondents adopted clinical computing to improve office efficiency and operations, support diagnosis and treatment, and enhance patient communication and perception. Barriers included insufficient operational reliability, program limitations, a steep learning curve, cost and infection control issues.

Conclusion Clinical computing is being increasingly adopted in general dentistry. However, future research must address usefulness and ease-of-use, workflow support, infection control, integration and implementation issues.