Teledentistry Is (Almost) Here

'
Dental News
Technology is improving dentistry in every way except getting people to go to the dentist more often. Now even that is going to change because of Teledentistry which is --at least for the moment-- the process by which either a dental hygienist or dental assistant visits a school, nursing home or community center and then have a dentist review patients' dental records remotely at the office.

"This couldn't have been done five years ago, because the technology wasn't there yet," said Dr. Paul Glassman, professor of dental practice at Pacific's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco and director of the Virtual Dental Home project which is using teledentistry to provide dental care to underserved communities throughout California.

Teledentistry Pilot Project
The goal of this four-year pilot project is to demonstrate that less costly teledentistry can be with registered dental hygienists using portable X-rays and specialized digital cameras to take images of the patient's teeth as a way to improve the dental health of the community by providing education, preventive care, interim therapeutic restorations triage and case management.

After reviewing the patients' records within 48 hours, dentists will then be able to recommend a plan for providing care. The dental hygienists and dental assistants can then perform some preventive and restorative treatments for patients in the community setting. Patients needing further treatment by a dentist will be provided assistance in getting to a dentist's office or clinic for completion of the recommended treatment.

"There are large numbers of people that are not getting good access to dental care. As we age, the number is getting larger and we're getting further behind. And more people are keeping their teeth as they get older," Glassman said. "The solution is not going to be doing the same things we've always done in the future. We need to build a bridge between the traditional model and future services. This can become a mainstream part of the way we do things."

Related Blog Posts
Therapists To Help Rural Dental Care Crises ( December 18, 2009 )