Real-World Use,Usability,and User Experience of a Teledentistry Platform for Oral Lesion Screening in the Brazilian Public Health System

Abstract

Background:

This study evaluated the real-world use of the TeleEstomato-MG platform, an asynchronous teledentistry system designed for oral lesion screening within the Brazilian Unified Health System, with a focus on user profile, distribution across levels of care, usability, and satisfaction.

Methods:

This retrospective observational study analyzed data from 601 dental professionals registered on the TeleEstomato-MG platform. Variables included sex, age, specialist status, and level of care. Usability and satisfaction were assessed using a structured questionnaire completed by a subset of users (n = 90). Descriptive statistics were performed, and the association between specialist status and level of care was evaluated using the chi-square test, with Cramér’s V used to assess effect size.

Results:

Most professionals were female (n = 417; 69.4%), with a mean age of 38.6 ± 11.0 years. The majority worked in primary health care (n = 424; 70.2%), followed by private practice (n = 119; 19.7%), secondary care (n = 34; 5.8%), tertiary care (n = 12; 2.0%), and educational institutions (n = 14; 2.3%). Specialists accounted for 56.4% (n = 339) of users, and a significant association was observed between specialist status and level of care (χ² = 56.58; p < 0.001; Cramér’s V = 0.31). Usability results indicated high acceptance, with most users reporting willingness to use the platform frequently (n = 84; 93.4%), ease of use (n = 84; 93.3%), confidence (n = 82; 91.1%), rapid learnability (n = 77; 85.5%), and a low need for technical support (n = 64; 71.1%). Satisfaction was also high, with 87.7% (n = 79) rating the platform as excellent or very good and 90.0% (n = 81) considering it highly necessary.

Conclusions:

The TeleEstomato-MG platform is predominantly used in primary health care and demonstrates high usability and user satisfaction in a real-world public health context. These findings support asynchronous teledentistry as a scalable strategy to enhance oral lesion screening, improve access to specialist support, and strengthen integration across levels of care.