Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review

Introduction: Unlike telemedicine, which is relatively well established in the literature and practice, implementation of teledentistry and its limitations are underexplored, and more well-designed research is needed to investigate them. Aim: To evaluate and identify the scopes, challenges, and opp...

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Main Author: Wesam Talal Alsalman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-01-01
Series:Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.saudijos.org//article.asp?issn=1658-6816;year=2023;volume=10;issue=3;spage=136;epage=144;aulast=Alsalman
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author Wesam Talal Alsalman
author_facet Wesam Talal Alsalman
author_sort Wesam Talal Alsalman
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Unlike telemedicine, which is relatively well established in the literature and practice, implementation of teledentistry and its limitations are underexplored, and more well-designed research is needed to investigate them. Aim: To evaluate and identify the scopes, challenges, and opportunities for the use of teledentistry based on high-quality literature. Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative systematic review with thematic analysis and includes English cross-sectional, prospective, and retrospective studies about the use of teledentistry for the prevention and treatment of dental patients. A quality appraisal methodology was used to evaluate the included studies which were found from online databases, namely, Medline through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane databases. Results and Discussion: Five studies were included and presented with fair-to-good quality of evidence. There is overall agreement about the effectiveness of the use of teledentistry and the great opportunities it provides for the improvement of dental services. Several scopes were identified, including education, consultation, and examination. However, challenges such as technical difficulties and accuracy of examination of certain conditions were also identified. It is advised to integrate the topic of teledentistry in dental school and health-care management courses. Conclusion: Teledentistry is not a substitute for the establishment of a dental home but a complementary aspect of dental service management. In addition, better-quality, well-designed comparative studies, especially those related to scopes, economic aspects, telecommunication means, legislation, licensing, and official dental reporting are needed.
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spelling doaj.art-ca6e0ea6a39249099292452c501982ff2024-04-03T06:43:14ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsSaudi Journal of Oral Sciences1658-68162023-01-0110313614410.4103/sjoralsci.sjoralsci_42_23Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic reviewWesam Talal AlsalmanIntroduction: Unlike telemedicine, which is relatively well established in the literature and practice, implementation of teledentistry and its limitations are underexplored, and more well-designed research is needed to investigate them. Aim: To evaluate and identify the scopes, challenges, and opportunities for the use of teledentistry based on high-quality literature. Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative systematic review with thematic analysis and includes English cross-sectional, prospective, and retrospective studies about the use of teledentistry for the prevention and treatment of dental patients. A quality appraisal methodology was used to evaluate the included studies which were found from online databases, namely, Medline through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane databases. Results and Discussion: Five studies were included and presented with fair-to-good quality of evidence. There is overall agreement about the effectiveness of the use of teledentistry and the great opportunities it provides for the improvement of dental services. Several scopes were identified, including education, consultation, and examination. However, challenges such as technical difficulties and accuracy of examination of certain conditions were also identified. It is advised to integrate the topic of teledentistry in dental school and health-care management courses. Conclusion: Teledentistry is not a substitute for the establishment of a dental home but a complementary aspect of dental service management. In addition, better-quality, well-designed comparative studies, especially those related to scopes, economic aspects, telecommunication means, legislation, licensing, and official dental reporting are needed.http://www.saudijos.org//article.asp?issn=1658-6816;year=2023;volume=10;issue=3;spage=136;epage=144;aulast=Alsalmanonline dentistryremote dentistryteledentistryonline dentistryremote dentistryteledentistry
spellingShingle Wesam Talal Alsalman
Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
Saudi Journal of Oral Sciences
online dentistry
remote dentistry
teledentistryonline dentistry
remote dentistry
teledentistry
title Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
title_full Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
title_fullStr Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
title_short Using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services: A systematic review
title_sort using teledentistry as a tool for management of dental services a systematic review
topic online dentistry
remote dentistry
teledentistryonline dentistry
remote dentistry
teledentistry
url http://www.saudijos.org//article.asp?issn=1658-6816;year=2023;volume=10;issue=3;spage=136;epage=144;aulast=Alsalman
work_keys_str_mv AT wesamtalalalsalman usingteledentistryasatoolformanagementofdentalservicesasystematicreview