Teledentistry: The Need of An Hour During Pandemic COVID-19

Abstract

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), originating in Wuhan, China, has become a major
public health challenge. According to WHO, “It is possible to halt the virus spread, by adopting measures
to detect disease early, isolate and treat the cases, tracing the people who came in contact with those who
are infected, wearing gloves and masks, limitation of people going outside their home and promote social
distancing measures.” Due to the characteristics of dental settings, the risk of cross infection can be high
between patients and dental practitioners and can spread from patient to patient.As part of its efforts to
mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemicthe American Dental Association (ADA) provided essential
guidance on (i) emergency vs. nonemergency dental care and (ii) the use of teledentistry. In response to the
current health crisis, teledentistry is emerging as a viable care option in an effort to help “flatten the curve”
of the COVID-19 pandemic.During the COVID-19 outbreak, teledentistry is an effective way to triage
patients and conduct problem-focused evaluations in order to limit office visits to patients needing urgent or
emergency care. This article, based on relevant guidelines and research, introduces the essential knowledge
about COVID-19, and focuses on how teledentistry can be helpful in preventing dental emergencies by
providing effective dental care to patients during quarantine, and also educate and motivate people to opt
necessary dental hygiene measures.