Table 1.
Description of study sample by socio-demographics characteristics and frequency of using internet resources
| Variable | N (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | = < 30 years | 140 (35.4) |
| 31–40 years | 134 (33.8) | |
| > 40 years | 122 (30.8) | |
| Sex | Males | 120 (29.9) |
| Females | 282 (70.1) | |
| Clinical experience | 1–5 years | 131 (32.9) |
| 6–15 years | 132 (33.2) | |
| > 15 years | 135 (34.0) | |
| Professional category | Dentist | 245 (60.8) |
| Dental specialist | 123 (30.5) | |
| Dental auxiliarya | 34 (8.4) | |
| Qualification level | Undergraduate | 218 (54.1) |
| Postgraduate | 183 (45.4) | |
| Practice sector | Private clinic | 179 (44.4) |
| Government clinic | 86 (21.3) | |
| University teaching clinic | 96 (23.8) | |
| Combined | 36 (8.9) | |
| Jurisdiction region | Middle East | 370 (91.8) |
| Non-Middle East | 29 (7.2) | |
| Dental specialty | Periodontics | 14 (9.3) |
| Prosthodontics | 25 (16.6) | |
| Restorative dentistry | 11 (7.3) | |
| Endodontics | 26 (17.2) | |
| Oral and oral and maxillofacial surgery | 17 (11.3) | |
| Orthodontics | 29 (19.2) | |
| Pediatric dentistry | 28 (18.5) | |
| Others | 1 (0.7) | |
| Frequency of using social media | Frequently | 274 (68.0) |
| Infrequently | 129 (32.0) | |
| Frequency of visiting official public health websitesb | Frequently | 316 (79.0%) |
| Infrequently | 84 (21.0%) | |
| Frequency of reading scientific journals | Frequently | 177 (44.7%) |
| Infrequently | 219 (55.3%) |
aIncludes dental interns, dental hygienists, dental nurses and dental technicians
bWorld Health Organization, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, national health jurisdictions