Asian Journal of Dental Sciences

Background: Digital technology has expanded options for dental care, while conventional workflows remain important in private clinical practice.

Aims: To compare dental practitioners’ perceptions of digital and conventional dental workflows in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and perceived patient comfort, and to explore their experiences, preferences, and challenges in using these workflows.

Study Design: Explanatory sequential mixed-methods study.

Place and Duration of Study: Selected private dental clinics in Iloilo City, Philippines, from May to July 2026.

Methodology: The quantitative phase involved 151 licensed dental practitioners who were active members of the Philippine Dental Association–Iloilo Chapter. A researcher-made five-point Likert-scale questionnaire assessed their perceptions of both workflows. The qualitative phase involved 10 practitioners selected through extreme-score sampling for semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis.Findings were integrated through a joint display.

Results: Conventional workflows received high ratings in accuracy (M = 3.61, SD = 0.58), efficiency (M = 3.60, SD = 0.64), and perceived patient comfort (M = 3.43, SD = 0.53). Digital workflows received higher ratings in accuracy (M = 4.20, SD = 0.57), efficiency (M = 4.26, SD = 0.61), and perceived patient comfort (M = 3.91, SD = 0.55).

Paired-samples t-tests showed significant differences favouring digital workflows in accuracy (t(150) = -9.83, p < .001), efficiency (t(150) = -9.97, p < .001), and perceived patient comfort (t(150) = -8.86, p < .001). Qualitative analysis revealed eight themes: Organized Practice, Technique Mastery, Technique Accuracy, Clinical Experience, Practical Efficiency, Patient Comfort, Adaptive Preference, and Economic Accessibility. Participants valued digital workflows for their perceived accuracy and efficiency, while conventional workflows remained useful due to familiarity, accessibility, and flexibility.

Conclusion: Digital workflows were perceived more favourably than conventional workflows in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and patient comfort. The findings suggest that both approaches are complementary, and workflow selection depends on clinical requirements, practitioner experience, patient needs, and available resources.