Trends in First-Year Dental Students' Information Technology Knowledge and Use: Results from a US Dental School in 2009, 2012, and 2017

Dental students must be skilled in the use and application of information technology (IT), but there are few studies of IT use and knowledge among U.S. dental students. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze survey data regarding IT use and knowledge collected from first-year dental students at one U.S. dental school in 2009, 2012, and 2017. Data were collected from an anonymous survey of these students as part of a D1 course called Informatics and Evaluation of Dental Literature. All students participated in the survey each year, for a response rate of 100%. Annual numbers of participants were 80 (2009), 90 (2012), and 97 (2017), for a total 267 respondents. The students reported that they frequently accessed Internet resources multiple times per day and that frequency of use had increased over time, principally from access via smartphones. These students reported feeling comfortable with higher education IT applications such as learning management systems and computerized testing. However, despite their frequent IT use, the students reported low levels of knowledge about IT security, and the three years of survey data showed that IT security knowledge had declined over time. These findings have implications for dental educators, including the need for methods for training students to protect their personal data and that of their patients.