Clinical Photography Knowledge and Skills among Dental Students in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Survey

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Clinical photographs have become an important entity in contemporary dental education in Saudi Arabia. The study assessed the knowledge and skills related to clinical photography among final-year undergraduate dental students in different dental schools in the Western province of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A face-to-face interview was conducted using a pretested and validated questionnaire after obtaining relevant consent from the college administration and the students. Trained and calibrated data collectors interviewed the dental students between November 2019 and February 2020. RESULTS: The knowledge related to clinical photography was “good” only in 17.2% of the participants, and most of the students demonstrated “poor” knowledge (58.9%). Digital single lens-reflex (DSLR) camera was used by only 43.9% of the students for taking clinical photographs. The practice of taking informed consent from patients for taking and using clinical photographs was reported in 77.6% of the dental students. CONCLUSION: The knowledge related to dental clinical photography was not satisfactory, and students need to improve the understanding of the proper functioning of digital cameras and also the medicolegal issues related to clinical photography.