UNDERSTANDING HOW PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS DENTAL SPECIALTY CONSULTATIONS

Abstract

Like many other industries, dentistry is undergoing a digital transformation. New technologies are influencing the work practices of dental professionals and specialists. Digital platforms, in particular, are becoming more omnipresent. The focus of this study is to explore platform technology’s impact on dental specialty consultations. To this end, we used Vial’s (2019) framework as our analytical lens to carry out a qualitative case study of dental specialty consultations. Specifically, we focused on analyzing the changes in consultation practice as a result of implementing platform technology. The data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with dental practitioners, specialists, and the platform owners. We analyzed the findings using a deductive thematic analysis, which yielded three principal conclusions. First, the workflow of conducting dental specialty consultations has been digitalized, but not changed in a transformative way. Thus, the workflow is still the same, but it is now carried out digitally via the platform. Second, the platform technology has introduced the platform owner as a new key player in the ecosystem, which now orchestrates the transactions between specialists and dental practitioners. Third, the platform implementation has resulted in substantial time savings for dental practitioners and specialists leading to quicker patient care responses and increased patient capacity. Our study enriches the digital platform and digital transformation literature by illustrating how platform technology is part of a digital transformation process. Additionally, we provide insights for dental practitioners and specialists who are increasingly using platform technology in their consultation practices.