Tech Information: Parent's Views

The development and expansion of digital media represents one of the greatest advances in our ability to communicate and disseminate knowledge. Among all advanced technologies, the internet is one of the most advanced media by which one can stay connected with rest of the world. This can be used at home and at work as well as during leisure time for personal or professional use. Internet usage provides easy access to the "global village". This facility provides a massive volume of health consciousness along with oral health information to internet users. It allows increased access to medical and dental information and can be used for patient self-education, enabling patients to confirm the information given by their practitioner and to gather additional information. Information technology is beginning to change the exclusive focus of health care from curing disease to preventing disease and enhancing health status. The trend towards preventive medicine also contributes to the patient's desire to gain knowledge. Parents are increasingly using the internet to obtain health-related information for both themselves and their children. The internet has become an important source of dental health information for parents, mostly due to the dramatic increase in internet accessibility. This poster shows parental internet usage patterns and how internet-derived patient information is influencing the practice of paediatric dentistry. Keywords: online dental health information, parental internet usage, tech information, internet