title: Utilization of teledentistry as a tool to screen for dental caries among 12-year-old school children in a rural region of India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aims to assess the reliability of video-graphic method as a tool to screen the dental caries among 12-year-old school children in a rural region of India.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 139 school children participated in the study. Visual tactile examinations were conducted using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Simultaneously, standardized video recording of the oral cavity was performed. Sensitivity and specificity values were calculated for video-graphic assessment of dental caries. Bland-Altman plot was used to assess agreement between the two methods of caries assessment. Likelihood ratio (LR) and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the predictive accuracy of the video-graphic method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean DMFT for the study population was 2.47 ± 2.01 and 2.46 ± 1.91 by visual tactile and video-graphic assessment (P = 0.76; > 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity values of 0.86 and 0.58 were established for video-graphic assessment. A fair degree of agreement was noted between the two methods with Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value of 0.56. LR for video-graphic assessment was 2.05. Bland-Altman plot confirmed the level of agreement between the two assessment methods. The area under curve was 0.69 (CI 0.57, 0.80, P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teledentistry examination is comparable to clinical examination when screening for dental caries among school children. This study provides evidence that teledentistry may be used as an alternative screening tool for assessment of dental caries and is viable for remote consultation and treatment planning. Teledentistry offers to change the dynamics of dental care delivery and may effectively bridge the rural-urban oral health divide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences & Research Centre, Bhopal, India.
authors.forename: Bharathi M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Purohit
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
authors.forename: Abhinav
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, People's College of Dental Sciences & Research Centre, Bhopal, India.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dwivedi
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012424:Rural Population; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: dental caries; healthcare disparities; rural health services; sensitivity and specificity; teledentistry; video recording