Taskforce backs the benefits of teledentistry to improve global oral care

Brought together by the Oral Health Foundation and Unilever, the group found that teledentistry has the potential to remove or reduce many of the major barriers associated with access to oral healthcare, specifically in developing and emerging countries.

The panel determined that teledentistry can be an effective method for education, dental referrals, early detection of disease, treatment planning and compliance and treatment viability.

Teledentistry was deemed especially useful where the access to dental professionals is limited, or not evenly spread over a country or region. It was also seen as a cost-saving measure for the patient and the dental clinic.

According to Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, there is urgent need to expand access to dental care and believes teledentistry has an important role to play.