Identifying the requirements for the implementation of teledentistry in rural areas: A scoping review protocol

Oral health disparities in rural areas of developing countries are exacerbated by geographic barriers, limited infrastructure, and workforce shortages. Teledentistry, a branch of telemedicine, offers a promising solution to improve access to dental care. This scoping review aims to identify the infrastructure, workforce, and patient-related requirements for implementing teledentistry in rural settings. In this scoping review, Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework will be used. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases will be used to search for studies using a detailed search strategy. Using specified inclusion and exclusion criteria, studies that focus on identifying the challenges of implementing teledentistry in rural areas, and were published between 2004 and 2024, will be identified and reviewed. An interdisciplinary team will develop search strategies, and two researchers will independently review eligible studies for final study selection. Finally, the data will be extracted and categorized to enable statistical analysis of the results. Only English-language studies will be included due to resource constraints. Two independent reviewers will screen and select studies, with data extracted using the MAXQDA 2020 software. This review will map key requirements for teledentistry implementation, guiding policymakers and practitioners in designing effective programs to enhance dental care access in rural areas.