Teledentistry: Potential Applications and Challenges
摘要
This chapter aims to describe the potential applications and challenges of teledentistry from a clinician’s, patients’ and trainee’s perspective. Teledentistry is increasingly being used in dental clinics and dental education institutes to provide oral healthcare. The adoption of virtual oral healthcare improves access to patients, reducing inequalities, cost of travel, and saving time. It also serves as a good educational resource. Adoption of teledentistry in dental education institutions and in the curriculum therefore has huge benefits to trainees, staff, and patients. However, it does provide some challenges such as operational costs, difficulties in regulation, and lack of training. Lack of IT support can make adoption of teledentistry difficult within organizations or institutions. This chapter will explore the current trends in the application of teledentistry in dental clinics and dental education institutions, promoting its use, outweighing the drawbacks, emphasizing the benefits, and encouraging the adoption of this novel healthcare delivery system.