TELEDENTISTRY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Dentistry is one of the fields that are hugely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to high concentrations of contaminated aerosols which can be transmitted while undergoing dental procedures and can potentially lead to the nosocomial spread of the COVID-19 virus. Teledentistry, a subunit of telehealth, is an alternative that is widely chosen to diminish in-clinic appointments and to support social distancing. The four main methods of teledentistry are live or synchronous video, store-and-forward (asynchronous), remote patient monitoring (RPM), and mobile health (mHealth). Teledentistry can be applied to all specialities including oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics, orthodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, pediatric and preventive dentistry with high accuracy and reliability. The process of teledentistry consists of subunits including teleconsultation, telediagnosis, teletriage, and telemonitoring. Focusing on its advantages, regarding the affordability and convenience of teledentistry, it originated a paradigm shift for the prevention and promotion of oral health. COVID-19 patients can still receive dental care with the use of teledentistry. Moreover, it aids patients from rural areas where access to dental specialities is limited. However, solutions to address concerns about the image quality, digital literacy of both healthcare providers and patients, insufficient financial reimbursement of dentists, security and technical issues are required to enhance the effectiveness of teledentistry. Hopefully, this review paper can be helpful for giving information regarding teledentistry.