title: Teledentistry: a key component in access to care.
abstract: Teledentistry has the potential to address the oral care needs of those who have limited access to care. More research is needed to establish the evidence base to support teledentistry practice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Enormous potential exists to improve oral health services throughout the world by using information and communication technologies, such as teledentistry to expand access to primary, secondary and tertiary care. Comparison of teledentistry procedures with standard clinical procedures can demonstrate the relative effectiveness and cost of each approach. However, due to insufficient evidence, it is unclear how these strategies compare for improving and maintaining oral health, quality of life, and reducing health care costs. This review discusses the merits of teledentistry for the delivery of oral care.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article summarizes the available literature related to the efficacy and effectiveness of teledentistry and presents possible barriers to its broader adoption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teledentistry seems to be a promising path for providing oral health services where there is a shortage of oral health care providers.
authors.affiliation: Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA. Electronic address: sjdaniel@odu.edu.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Informatics & Information Management, College of Allied Health, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Sajeesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics; D004526:Efficiency; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D013685:Telecommunications; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics
keywords: access to care; dental telecommunication; health information technology; teledentistry; telehealth