Teledentistry


Teledentistry is the use of information technology and telecommunications for dental care, consultation, education, and public awareness.

History

In 1994, the Department of Defense introduced the Total Dental Access Program for the Army. The goals of TDA were to increase soldier's access to care and reduce associated costs. At the time, they used what was called the plain-old-telephone-system.
In the early nineteen nineties, videoconferencing, e-mail, fax, and telephone calls were used but more recently, video conferencing and high-quality image transfer have become easily accessible. These, and the considerable improvements in digital camera technology, have provide radical new opportunities.
Nearly a third of all Americans don't visit a dentist regularly enough, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. There are many reasons for this, most notably affordability, access and fear.
Several teledental startup companies operate in the United States, including and . Direct-to-consumer orthodontics companies like SmileDirectClub also utilize teledentistry, but have drawn criticism regarding proper supervision of care.

Methods and Modalities

Live Video :
Live two-way video between a patient and provider using audiovisual telecommunications technology. Live video is often used to triage patients to the appropriate level of care or for specialty consultations.
Store-and-forward :
Transmission of recorded health information through a secure electronic communications system to a practitioner, who uses the information to evaluate or diagnose the patient's condition outside at a later time.
Remote Patient Monitoring:
Health data collection from an individual in one location, which is transmitted to a provider in a different location for use in care and related support.
mHealth:
Health promotion and education via mobile devices such as cell phones or tablets.

Benefits

Teledentistry can provide easier, cheaper and less intimidating way to connect with dentistry. Teledentistry can also be used to assist general dentists with speciality work and improve services to underserved populations such as in rural or less developed areas.