How Teledentistry Can Improve Public Oral Health Care?

Health, with the help of the growing technology, has changed drastically. With new developmental schemes and programs, health has reached everyone in the country. Health care is indispensable and essential for the development of any nation. Any government strives to give maximum health care to its people, especially the rural areas. A healthy population is the first step towards building a developed nation.

Science has come a long way. From the first heavy X-ray machine to today’s modern portable X-ray machine. Health care is essential but reaching out the maximum people is more essential. And teledentistry makes it possible. Teledentistry brings dental health care to your doorstep. It gives you a consultant at your home. Science and the internet have made it possible.

But is it easy to reach the whole population of a nation via a health care scheme? Or is it possible for everyone to visit the doctor's chamber? Is it affordable for everyone to pay for such visits? The answer is probably negative. But the good news is that advanced technology has made it possible. Today with the help of the internet and skilled workers, health has reached most houses in the country.

Now, what exactly is this teledentistry? Well, to satiate your curiosity, read on.

Let's make it as simple as possible. It is not always possible to visit a dentist for a minor consultation. The rural areas of any country fail to get proper and regular dental care. For such reasons, teledentistry is good news. It is, in fact, big news. It is the use of the internet and telecommunications to facilitate dental care. Teledentistry is not just dental care; it involves sharing information, education, and public awareness about oral health.. It refers to telehealth. In simple words, it is dentistry via telecommunication. You can seek dental care, advice, and even treatment via teledentistry. For this, you don't have to physically visit a dentist. You might’ve seen how people have dental phobia and because of this fear they neglect dental visits. So by pursuing Dental continuing education, dentists help patients to overcome their fear and expand dental practices.

INTERNET AND TELEDENTISTRY

How can teledentistry help you?

Assessment: Teledentistry can help you to assess the problem. Teledentistry extends assessment via photos and videos taken by patients. They can do this via the old dental records. The patients can do this and get the photos examined by the dentist.

Prescription: Teledentistry can even prescribe medicines for your problems. In the case of pain medications or antibiotics, teledentistry provides a prescription. For medicine, you do not have to visit a doctor. Teledentistry is a fast approach to tackle the pain. Instead of going to the dentist or crying in pain, you can consult a dentist via telecommunications.

Supervision: Health is better when it is cost-effective. Well, teledentistry is very cost-effective. It is an effective way to monitor the oral health of patients. Teledentistry is great for monitoring patients in the case of orthodontics. It is easy to supervise the state of the braces or Invisalign and so on. The dentist can supervise the movement of your teeth; you don't even have to visit the dentist physically.

How it all began?

Teledentistry was a part of dental informatics. This domain combined computer and information technology to ease dental care. The aim is to improve patient care, to spread dental education, and to promote the importance of oral health. The world of teledentistry showed that it is feasible to negotiate the dentist efficiently. Teledentistry has made it possible to reduce the cost and expenditure of the patients; extending dental care to the rural areas and imparting knowledge about oral health care.

What has teledentistry done for us?

According to the Study, Teledentistry has significantly improved oral health. It has made access to oral health feasible. The delivery of oral health to a larger population is not a dream it is now a reality. It has lowered the cost of dental care effectively. With the help of teledentistry, the rural areas have equal access to oral care, just like the urban areas. It is not only cheap but also beneficial. It is a way via which new dental facilities and advanced care can reach to the remotest areas of a nation.

BENEFITS OF TELEDENTISTRY

How does teledentistry work?

Without the internet, there is no teledentistry. Fast internet makes the transfer of a large amount of data smooth and fast. It is fast, cost-effective; you can transfer documents, test results, and so on. A proper internet connection makes it possible for the dentist to communicate with multiple people at the same time. But there are cons too. The process makes the internet a must. The rural areas may not have access to the internet, and that is a problem.

The whole session is live, hence the consultant has to be well-trained; he is under pressure, he has to be quick with his responses; interpreting the messages can be tricky and many such problems may arise.

TELEDENTISTRY

Teledentistry is a way to bridge the dental care gap between the urban and the rural. It is true, internet access can be a problem, but even via telephone one can practice teledentistry. It is an alternative to existing dental care. The most crucial part of teledentistry that makes it so sought after is its ability to reach remote areas. India has a huge landmass. Teledentistry helps to reach every corner of India and provide dental care. It also lets you communicate with specialists. Teledentistry has a vast prospectus. With the help of the right plans and execution, teledentistry can make a commendable change.