teledentistry C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 9 , Nº 1 0
Teledentistry: Opportunities and Recent Developments in Pediatric Dentistry Jean Marie Calvo, DDS, MPH; Paul Glassman, DDS, MA, MBA; Lisa Berens, DDS, MPH; Enihomo Obadan-Udoh, DDS, MPH, DrMedSc; and Ray E. Stewart, DMD, MS
abstract Pediatric dentistry has experienced an increase in the utilization of telehealth advances to serve children’s dental needs. Teledentistry describes the umbrella of services that dentistry can provide through telehealth technology. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in UCSF Pediatric Dentistry and many other dental practices in California applying teledentistry in their care models. This article describes the uses of teledentistry, motivation for its use and UCSF Pediatric Dentistry’s current and future plans to implement teledentistry in clinics and the community. Keywords: Pediatric dentistry, public health, telehealth
AUTHORS Jean Marie Calvo, DDS, MPH, is a health sciences assistant clinical professor in the division of pediatric dentistry, department of orofacial sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. Paul Glassman, DDS, MA, MBA, is a professor and the associate dean for research and community engagement at California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine.
Lisa Berens, DDS, MPH, is the John C. Greene professor in primary care dentistry; chair, division of oral epidemiology and dental public health; vice chair for research in the department of preventive and restorative dental sciences; and the chair of the summer research fellowship program at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry.
Enihomo Obadan-Udoh, DDS, MPH, DrMedSc, is an assistant professor and the director of the dental public health postgraduate program, division of oral epidemiology and dental public health in the department of preventive and restorative dental sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry.
Ray E. Stewart, DMD, MS, is a professor and chair of the division of pediatric dentistry, department of orofacial sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. Conflict of Interest Disclosure for all authors: None reported.
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he term teledentistry is a discipline-specific application of the more general term telehealth. In 2011, California adopted Assembly Bill (AB) 415, which converted all instances in California law referring to the older term telemedicine to telehealth.1 These terms have often continued to be used interchangeably to describe a collection of technologies and strategies to virtually deliver a broad range of medical services, such as diagnosis and monitoring of health conditions, education and interprofessional communication.2
Telehealth is now described in California law as: “The mode of delivering health care services and public health via information and communication technologies to O C TOBER 2 0 2 1
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