(PR82) The Impact of Teledentistry on Emergency Dental Services During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Abstract: The World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In the United States, stay-at-home orders and suspension of elective dental procedures was ordered shortly thereafter by many governors and state dental boards. Aerosol generating procedures, such as dental treatment with highspeed handpieces or use of an air-water syringe, were discouraged during that time as a means of protecting patients and healthcare providers. Teledentistry was also introduced as an emergency dental visit modality. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographics of dental emergency patients presenting during stay-at-home orders and the treatment provided prior to and after teledentistry was introduced as an emergency dental visit modality. A retrospective chart review of 1312 patients and 1789 patient visits associated with Rutgers School of Dental Medicine from March 13, 2020 to June 1, 2020 were reviewed. A significant difference was noted in the number of visit counts with patients having an average higher total visit count after the introduction of tele-dentistry (p < 0.0001). A prescription was more likely to be written at the first encounter prior to the introduction of teledentistry (p < 0.0001). Patients were more likely to receive treatment on their second visit prior to the introduction of teledentistry than after (p=0.0067). Patient demographics such as age, distance from clinic and gender remained unchanged over the study period. Teledentistry is associated with an increased patient visit count and delay in patient treatment. Prescriptions are more likely to be written in association with an in-person visit.