Amazing Growth and Benefits of Teledentistry

Healthful Vitality | 07/20/2021 | Amazing Growth and Benefits of Teledentistry.

Teledentistry is the union of telehealth (telemedicine) and dentistry. In other words, teledentistry integrates information technology and telecommunications to provide an innovative solution for dental care. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolving healthcare industry saw that teledentistry supported resume dental practice, providing virtual dental care through virtual dental visits. In addition, teledentistry helps facilitate dental treatment, consultation and guidance, education, and public awareness. Teledentistry’s subunits involve teleconsultation, telediagnosis, teletriage, and telemonitoring. However, despite these advancements, there are numerous challenges for the acceptance of teledentistry by dentists and patients, which require urgent attention.

Teledentistry and Telehealth

Teledentistry is a subset of telehealth. Indeed, teledentistry refers to the usage of telehealth techniques and methodologies in dentistry. Telehealth refers to a big technology and procedures to supply digital medical, health, and training services. Telehealth isn’t always a selected service; however, it is a set of manners to beautify care and training delivery. It can include high-quality monitoring of patients through virtual means of communication. And this method is less expensive and convenient for the sufferer. Because now the patient does not need to visit the clinic and get his or her check-up done. Patients can just sit at his or her home and get examined through the screens by the practitioner. Indeed, teledentistry has revolutionized the traditional field, and it is proof that the dental industry is welcoming the revolution.

Teledentistry Modalities

Teledentistry can include the patient’s care and education delivery by using the following modalities. However, there is no restriction in using only these modalities. 

1.     Synchronous (live video)

Synchronous includes the live, two-way interaction between the concerned person (patient) and the person on the other side of the screen, providing the audio-visual telecommunications technology.

2.     Asynchronous (store and forward)

The patient sends his or her medical history made after different examiner tests through a secure electronic communications system to his or her doctor. After that, the doctor uses his or her knowledge to gauge a patient’s condition and gives advice. 

3.     Remote patient monitoring

It is also called “RPM.” In this type, the patient’s data is transferred through electronic means to the practitioner. It is further elaborated as if a person is sitting in one location and the practitioner is in a far-off location. The data can be transferred through electronic communication technologies very conveniently.

4.     Mobile health

It is also referred to as “mHealth.” It includes the public health care and health practice and schooling or education supported by today’s gadgets like mobiles, cell phones, tablets, PCs, and personal digital assistants abbreviated as “PDA.”

Teledentistry Subunits

• Teleconsultation – By applying telecommunication, the patients or healthcare providers explore consultation from dental experts.

• Telediagnosis – Utilizing technology to exchange images and data for making a diagnosis of an oral lesion. Studies show that with the help of EstomatoNet, patient referral to specialists can be reduced from 96.9% to 35.1%.

• Teletriage – Teletriage means the safe, relevant and timely disposition of patient symptoms over smartphone by specialists.

• Telemonitoring – Telemonitoring replaces the frequent physical visits of dental patients to their dentists by virtual dental visits.

Growth and Benefits of Teledentistry: Areas Where Teledentistry Brought Changes

1.     Improved dental hygiene

Teledentistry has improved the dental hygiene of people. Because people are usually lazy or busy to go out and visit a clinic and getting their check-up done every six months, so they ignore their dental health. But teledentistry has connected the patients with the practitioners through a screen, which served as an improvement in the patients’ oral health.

2.     Being more affordable than in-office dentistry

Teledentistry has significantly reduced the costs of going for an in-office check-up. And simultaneously, it has completely cut down the expense of traveling to the clinic. And it resulted in fewer personal appointments.

3.     A more comfortable option for the patients

Teledentistry has served as a more convenient and comfortable option for the patients because studies how that 70% of the patients are comfortable communicating with their practitioner or health care provider through texts, phone calls, emails, or videos. And 30% of the patients already use digital gadgets. So, getting their check-up through teledentistry is more feasible for them as compared to the in-office treatment. 

Teledentistry has made it easier for people to get their check-ups. And it is a growing field having a very bright future. Because people are becoming more busy day by day and in this hustle and bustle, most people would prefer this option to go to the office for a check-up. And this will have a more positive impact on the dental health of the people.

Teledentistry: The Anywhere Anytime Dentists

Socioeconomic barriers emerged a greatest threat to dental care when recognizing the geographic location of patients. Teledentistry via teleconsultation assists overcome these barriers. Dental treatment is crucial in the health care system. As teledentistry becomes more effective, more patients acquire access to dental hygiene and dental care. The amazing technology advancement delivers the reach of dental care to millions of people who are anywhere anytime require care helping patients for an early detection of diseases to ensure proactive and preventive care.

Teledentistry Global Insights and Global Market Size Forecast 2019-2027

Research and Markets reports that the teledentistry global market is forecasted to attain US$ 2,614.50 million by 2027, that is from US$ 667.13 million in 2019, with an estimated growth at a CAGR of 18.6% from 2019 to 2027.

Indeed, the telehealth industry is booming. According to Statista, the telemedicine global market is growing significantly, with as of 2019, the global telemedicine market valued at a remarkable 50 billion U.S. dollars and with a projected value of about 460 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

Teledentistry Future Insights

Undoubtedly, teledentistry provides easier, cheaper and less intimidating virtual dental care through virtual dental visits. Particularly, teledentistry services assist dental experts to reach out patients to the rural or less developed areas. However, teledentistry has several disadvantages, such as the chances of misinterpretation of messages, patient privacy issues, and insufficiently trained patients and professionals of the right use of the technology. The American Dental Association has provided an ADA Policy on Teledentistry which involves general considerations, patients’ rights, quality of care, supervision of allied dental personnel, and licensure of dentists and allied dental personnel who deliver services via teledentistry modalities.

The advancement of technology and the Covid-19 pandemic situation have enhanced the scope and created new openings for teledentistry. As the teledentistry industry evolves, it will offer many opportunities to improve the level of dental patient care and definitely would reshape the current business models in the near future.

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