Other
Franklin C. Zhang, BA (he/him/his)
Pre-doctoral Student
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
Nadine Guirguis, N/A
Boston Children's Hospital
Nikole Miller, MPH
Boston Children's Hospital
Rosalyn Sulyanto, DMD, MS
Postdoctoral Research Director
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Man Wai Ng, DDS, MPH
Boston Children's Hospital
Rosalyn Sulyanto, DMD, MS
Postdoctoral Research Director
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Purpose: The aim of this 2-year retrospective cohort study was to characterize the teledentistry visits completed in preschool children at the Boston Children’s Hospital Dental Department during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore their effectiveness and limitations.
Methods: Medical and dental records of children ages 0-5 years old who had an initial teledentistry visit between March 2020 and March 2022 were reviewed. Demographic factors, medical histories, chief complaints, parent-obtained intraoral photographs, diagnosis, and treatment rendered were recorded for each subject.
Results: 1527 total and 1260 initial teledentistry visits were completed during the study period. The number of initial teledentistry visits increased from March 2020 until January 2021 and subsequently decreased. Twenty-eight percent of patients presented with pain. Most patients presented with a concern of caries (72%), followed by dental trauma (3%), loose teeth or two rows of teeth (1%), and soft tissue pathology (1%). The ratio of healthy to children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) receiving teledentistry services was 2.75:1. Although the majority of patients were from Eastern MA, the provision of teledentistry services was wide-reaching geographically, serving children as far as UT, FL, and CA. Eight-three percent of patients had radiographs from referring dentists and/or parent obtained photos at the initial teledentistry visit, with 68% of radiographs and 90% intraoral photos determined as diagnostic or somewhat diagnostic.
Conclusion: Teledentistry visits have served as an innovative, useful tool during COVID-19. Radiographs and photos received assisted in effective and efficient patient triaging for treatment and guidance.