The healthcare industry is undergoing a radical change in this era of rapid technological innovation and telecommunication. Advances in technology in recent years have created new opportunities for the provision of healthcare services. Hospitals have adopted several types of electronic systems to supplement in-person treatments, and as time has gone on, this has come to be known as ‘Telemedicine’. A particular branch of this is ‘teledentistry’, which provides dental care virtually to patients via telecommunications technology as an alternative to face-to-face interaction. Access to oral health care could be improved by this digital revolution in dentistry, especially for impoverished populations, but at what cost?
Through ‘teledentistry’, dental care delivery, diagnosis, treatment planning and consultation are provided through the use of interactive audio, video conferencing, digital imaging, and other remote communication technologies. In other words, patients no longer need to travel to their local dental clinic for in-person consultations as ‘teledentistry’ allows them to communicate with dental professionals and receive dental care online remotely instead.
‘Teledentistry’ utilises multiple forms of communication, ranging from synchronous (real-time) two-way interactions between patients and dentists using audiovisual telecommunications technology, to asynchronous (store and forward) methods where health information and data (e.g. patient radiographs, photographs, digital impressions etc.) are securely transmitted to practitioners to evaluate the patient’s condition later on. In addition, ‘teledentistry’ integrates concepts such as Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), which involves collecting personal health and medical data from individuals in a single location via electronic communication technologies. This information is subsequently sent to a provider in a separate location, typically via a data processing service, to support care and related services. ‘teledentistry’ also involves the use of Mobile Health (mHealth), which uses mobile communication devices such as phones, tablets and computers to improve public health education and practices.
As the world continues to settle with respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, ‘teledentistry’ has increased in popularity as it has proved itself to be a simple and easy method of receiving professional dental advice and care. Switching to virtual consultations reduced the risk of transmitting these contagious viruses as a dentist’s office is a high-risk environment where patients need to take off their masks.
‘Teledentistry’ does bring several other benefits along with it, such as its ability to overcome geographical barriers and provide a means of communication to individuals who are struggling to gain access to traditional dental care. This suggests that underserved communities can receive dental services needed without the burden of travelling long distances. There is a sense of increased convenience and flexibility as ‘teledentistry’ is a great way for patients to address any concerns without having to wait for in-person appointments. Patients can continue with their daily routines while quickly receiving professional advice and treatment recommendations through remote consultations and follow-ups. ‘Teledentistry’ also has the potential to drastically lower overall healthcare costs for both patients and healthcare systems by reducing the need for in-person visits and unnecessary emergency room visits for dental issues, which can be handled remotely. Furthermore, ‘teledentistry’ can improve dental hygiene and reduce long-term healthcare costs since it makes it easier to identify and treat oral health problems like gum disease and tooth decay at an early stage.
Despite this, it is important to acknowledge that ‘teledentistry’ has several limitations that should be considered. The most obvious disadvantage is the extent to which images and videos are helpful for making diagnoses compared to in-person examinations done in practices. Some dentists may find the expenses involved with specialty equipment and software too high, restricting their capacity to take advantage of this technology. Implementing the software involved within ‘teledentistry’ incurs high costs for training staff as well. Appropriate training and further expertise is required to ensure adequate service delivery as ‘teledentistry’ is different from in-person traditional dental services. Additionally, there is an underlying sense of pressure for instant responses since most patients will expect their concerns to be handled as soon as possible. This may result in dentists providing quick diagnosis without an in-depth evaluation due to the constraint of time-pressure, lowering the quality of the service offered. It also raises confidentiality concerns as sharing personal records of patients via the internet can be seen as risky and prone to interception. Without proper technological measures, there is a risk of violating the crucial aspect of patient confidentiality. Unreliable internet access is another issue which could hinder the efficiency of ‘teledentistry’, as both dentists and patients heavily rely on stable connection for virtual consultations.
In conclusion, ‘teledentistry’ is an innovative way of expanding access to dental care while reducing the amount of time that patients and dentists need to spend together. It promises a more convenient future for dental healthcare and its delivery. However, drawbacks such as the cost of telecommunications equipment and internet reliability must be tackled before it can be widely implemented. Despite these challenges, ‘teledentistry’ can be seen as a potentially transformative force within the entire healthcare industry, as it allows dental professionals to connect with a large number of patients more often by providing teleconsultation support at any time and place via internet-based platforms.