Teledentistry Improves Access to Oral Care: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

There is a paucity of research evaluating the use of telehealth applications for preventive oral care, such as remote dental screening and oral health promotion. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of teledentistry in improving the oral health of school-aged children.

In this cluster randomised controlled trial, a total of 175 children aged 4-15 years were enrolled from six schools across Western Australia. The schools were randomly assigned to either the teledentistry or the control group. The intervention consisted of dental screening and oral health promotion. Qualified oral health therapists (OHTs) performed in-person dental examinations on participants in the control group. Different OHTs conducted dental photography-based screenings for participants in the teledentistry group. Both groups received screening reports and educational leaflets. Nine months later, in-person examinations were conducted on all participants in both groups to assess their dental condition and adherence to the dental advice provided at baseline. The primary outcomes included decay experience (dft/DFT index) and the proportion of children converting from a 'caries-free' state to a 'caries-active' state at the follow-up.

A total of 164 children completed the follow-up (mean age, 7.7 ± 2.4 years). At baseline, the prevalence of dental caries in the control and teledentistry groups was 47% and 46%, respectively. The incidence of dental caries in the teledentistry (10%) and control (12%) groups at follow-up was not significantly different (p = 0.7).

The findings suggest that teledentistry has comparable efficacy to traditional preventive oral care in maintaining oral health. Teledentistry may offer a viable solution for expanding access to preventive oral care, especially for disadvantaged communities.