DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2019.v06i06.003

Pages: 306-312

Dental photography becomes an integral part in daily dental practice from the first appointment until the end of treatment. It is beneficial in dental education to make proper diagnosis and treatment planning without the need for patients' presence. This study aimed to assess the effect of dental photography on performance in dental practice. An online questionnaire was sent to forty volunteer practitioners in the College of Dentistry at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included two sections, education about dental photography and use of photography in daily dental practice. After data collection, an analysis was performed. Thirty-seven participants answered the questionnaire. All of them agreed that there is a need for dental photography in their practice. However, 28 participants reported that using dental photography is time-consuming. Dental photography was used by 36 participants to compare the case before and after treatment. Twenty-four participants used a mobile phone camera, while 23 were used a digital camera. Regarding photography education, 26 participants gained their knowledge from dental photography courses within their Bachelor programs, while 23 of the participants had attended extra-curriculum workshops and reported that attending these workshops positively affects their performance in clinics. Therefore, dental photography allowed their users to do proper treatment planning and consequently, provide better treatment outcomes. However, most of the participants in this study considered photography time-consuming.