17 June 2025

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Clinical relevance of digital dentistry during COVID-19 outbreak: a scoped review

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Aim

To perform a scoped literature review on advantages of digital workflows in dentistry that could be widely adopted to address safety issues raised during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

Recent studies on any advantages of digital dentistry – as compared to conventional methods – that could help addressing the new safety demands for dental treatments that emerged due to the current pandemic were included. PUBMED, Embase, and Web of Knowledge databases were searched for eligible articles published in the last five years. The guidelines of PRISMA statement were followed during data extraction and evaluation.

Results

The present search strategy yielded 181 publications. After application of exclusion criteria, a total of 34 studies were finally considered eligible to be discussed. Among the most important advantages of digital dentistry that contribute to safety during the current pandemic are: reduced number of clinical appointments required, shorter chairside time, less invasive surgeries and safer procedures.

Conclusion

Within the limitations of this study, the findings observed herein suggest that the use of digital workflows in dentistry could lead to increased safety and reduced transmission of COVID-19 during the current pandemic.

Authors: Roberto Adrian Markarian, Renan Lucio Berbel da Silva, Shaban Burgoa, Otavio Henrique Pinhata-Baptista, Juliana No-Cortes, Arthur Rodriguez Gonzalez Cortes

Source: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/