Knowledge and Uses of Information and Communication Technologies in Dental Teaching

Background: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed teaching-learning processes in dental education. Professors are required to know and use them appropriately. Purpose: To identify the level of knowledge of ICT that professors at a dental school have and describe their academic uses. Methods: A mixed research method was used with an explanatory sequential design (quantitative-qualitative). A previously validated questionnaire was applied to 68 professors to measure their knowledge and uses of ICT. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 of them to obtain more relevant perceptions. In the quantitative phase, descriptive statistics and multivariate analyzes were used, while the qualitative information was systematically arranged in content categories. Results: 63.2 % of professors reached a basic level of ICT knowledge. Only a statistically significant relationship was found between the level of ICT knowledge and age, since professors under the age of 50 presented better results. Although 66.2 % say they use ICTs more than twice a week in their academic work, their use is limited to recording attendance and grades in the institutional platform, preparing and presenting contents in the learning sessions, looking for scientific information, and communicate with students. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to improve faculty training and to promote educational policies that favor the effective incorporation of ICT in higher education.