01 September 2023

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Teledentistry adoption and applications

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Background

The rise of teleworking technologies has affected various industries, including dentistry. Although some dentists have used it for some time, many are discovering the benefits of incorporating this technology to complement their existing patient care capabilities.

Although telemedicine is increasingly popular for supporting remote care, it has not been widely adopted. The misperception that teledentistry is limited to virtual video calls with patients suggests that nonusers fail to recognize the breadth of its use in dentistry. This survey investigated attitudes about and perceptions of teledentistry among dentists.

Methods

To assess how clinicians are using teledentistry in their practices, an electronic survey was developed and deployed to the American Dental Association Clinical Evaluators (ACE) Panel on February 27, 2023. The survey link remained open for 2 weeks. Nonrespondents received reminders after one week.

Results

Of the 244 respondents (24% response rate), 30% use teledentistry in their practices, with more than one-half of those using synchronous (53%) or asynchronous teledentistry (63%). The most common reasons for incorporating teledentistry were increased convenience for patients (53%), COVID-19 (50%), and increased accessibility to providers (39%). Teledentistry can help serve patients of all ages (the lowest represented age group [0-5 years] had 42% of dentists treating them) and distances, with 63% of teledentistry patients fewer than 20 miles away. Most users adopted teledentistry within the past 3 years and use it fewer than 5 hours per month. Benefits cited include a reduced number of in-person patient visits (63%) and increased access and quality of care (57%). Among nonusers, 60% felt there was no need, and 39% had concerns with reimbursement.

Conclusions

Teledentistry has gained popularity in since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but may be underused, despite its potential to benefit a wider range of patients and applications than many believe.

Practical implications

Education on the capabilities and benefits of teledentistry may help increase adoption and improve patient care.

Scott E.I. Howell et al. "Teledentistry adoption and applications: An American Dental Association Clinical Evaluators Panel survey." JADA. September 2023. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2023.06.006.