An interesting article titled “Taskforce backs the benefits of teledentistry to improve global oral care outcomes” appears in BDJ In Practice in 2023 (volume 36, page 8). The article discusses how a task force that has conveyed has concluded that teledentistry has the ability to give millions more people than currently accross the world access to dental services. Teledentistry has been covered before on this site see for example the posts Cosmetic Dentistry in the Era of COVID-19 and Delivering Dentistry and Counseling to Patients using Telemedicine.
The article discusses how the taskforce feels that teledentistry can help to improve education, dental referrals, early detection of disease, treatment planning and treatment viability. Teledentistry can be particulary helpful in areas where there is limited access to dental professionals. The taskforce understands that heping to preventive dental disease is the best option and dental professionals can deliever effective educational messages.
The article estimates that around 2.4 billion people across the world do not have access to dental care. Teledentistry can help overcome some of the main barries with access to dental care. Many dentists are not spread evenly across geographic regions. For example, in many countries, dentists tend to pratice in the larger cities, limiting the options for those living in more rural areas. Financial barriers and fear of the dentist were cited as other reasons someone did not seek a dental professional.
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The taskforce concluded that teledentistry can help in the following ways to overcome barriers to oral healthcare. It can help improve access to dental professionals. It can help address oral health inequalities. It can also help to reduce financial constraints. Those involved feel that eledentistry has the potential to revolutionize the way people receive oral healthcare. Nine different countries were represented in the taskforce, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Tunisia, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia.