Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Teledentistry for Ageing Populations: Toward Intelligent Intermediary Support in...

The rapid ageing of the global population is reshaping oral health care delivery, with increasing numbers of older adults receiving care in home-based or dependent settings where access to dental services remains limited. Although teledentistry has emerged as a potential solution, its current implementation is constrained by passive communication models, variable diagnostic reliability, and limited usability among elderly patients. Evidence suggests that the effectiveness of remote dental assessment depends less on the communication modality than on image quality, patient guidance, and clinician-patient interaction. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated expanding roles in elderly health care as a supervisor, communicator, and decision support system, yet its integration into dentistry remains largely limited to diagnostics. This Perspective proposes a shift in which AI functions as an intelligent intermediary, structuring communication, guiding data acquisition, and supporting clinical triage. Despite challenges in adoption and ethics, AI-mediated teledentistry may enable a transition toward patient-centred oral health care.