title: Using teledentistry to improve access to dental care for the underserved.
abstract: Teledentistry is an exciting new area of dentistry that fuses electronic health records, telecommunications technology, digital imaging, and the Internet to link health providers in rural or remote communities. For the patient located in underserved or remote areas, teledentistry improves ready access to preventive dental care and teleconsultation with specialists. It allows the dentist in the nearby community to provide easier access to preventive care to a patient who, otherwise, probably will not seek care. It enables the specialist located many miles away to make a diagnosis and recommend treatment options and/or referral.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. frict001@umn.edu
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fricton
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security; D003729:Dental Care / Q000379:methods*; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D048048:Dental Informatics; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods; D020408:Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008910:Minnesota; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital; D019114:Remote Consultation; D014481:United States; D049269:Videoconferencing / Q000295:instrumentation