Research Analyst Oral Health Workforce Research Center
Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Theekshana Fernando, MBBS, MPH, CHES®: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Margaret Langelier, MSHSA: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Simona Surdu, MD, PhD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Ellen O'Malley, PhD: Disclosure information not submitted.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To examine the trends of teledentistry use to meet emergent patient needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An environmental scan of state and federal regulations and a literature review were conducted to describe the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dental delivery system, including the provision of teledentistry. The literature was consolidated and analyzed using Dedoose software. Information on access to oral health care using teledentistry during the pandemic was also collected through a web-based survey of a nationally representative sample of US consumers conducted in June 2020. RESULTS: Virtual technology was used to reach patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates of teledentistry use were highest (60 times pre-pandemic levels) in April 2020. Teledentisty utilization decreased after the end of the shelter-in-place period but remained nearly 13 times higher in the last week of August 2020. Consumer survey findings showed that 68.4% of respondents who used teledentistry in the past year (n=1,021) reported doing so for the first time during the pandemic. Email (74.2%) and mobile apps (73.9%) were more commonly used during the pandemic, followed by video (68.7%), text (66.5%), and telephone (58.5%) communication. CONCLUSION: Teledentistry has the potential to improve access to care for populations, particularly for consultation, monitoring, and pre- and post-operative care. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that widespread adoption of teledentistry is possible and practical and should continue beyond the pandemic.
Source of Funding: This project is supported by a grant from HRSA
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