Is Tele-Dentistry an Effective Approach for Patient Follow-up in Maxillofacial Surgery

Area of Science:

• Maxillofacial Surgery
• Telemedicine
• Oral Health

Background:

• Tele-dentistry is emerging as a novel approach in healthcare delivery.
• Maxillofacial surgery follow-up often requires frequent patient visits.
• Assessing the efficacy of remote consultations in this specialty is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of tele-dentistry for follow-up care.
• To assess tele-dentistry's application across diverse maxillofacial surgery patient groups.
• To compare remote and in-person examination effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Patients were categorized into four groups: dental implant, minor surgical procedure, medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ), and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
• Each patient underwent both remote video consultation and subsequent face-to-face clinical examination.
• Investigator-assessed quality and accuracy of video calls, alongside patient satisfaction surveys.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one patients (12 female, 9 male) participated.
• Patient preference for video calls was high (71% after video call, 95% after face-to-face exam).
• No significant differences in video call quality or accuracy were found across diagnostic groups.

Conclusions:

• Tele-dentistry provides a reliable remote follow-up method for specific maxillofacial surgery patient groups.
• This technology is as effective as in-person visits for routine follow-up.
• Tele-dentistry can potentially decrease the number of clinical visits in standard practice.