Half of Ontario dentists used teledentistry during pandemic

Western study shows half of Ontario dentists used teledentistry during pandemic . Survey finds lack of resources was among barriers to wider use of remote treatment systems While the COVID-19 pandemic upended everything in the world, it also became a powerful catalyst for innovations that made remote delivery of health care and services - including dentistry - possible. A new study by Western researchers Rocco Cheuk, a third-year undergraduate student at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Dr. Abbas Jessani has shown almost 50 per cent of dentists in Ontario used some form of teledentistry - a combination of dentistry, telephone and virtual communication - to provide remote care to patients during the pandemic. The study also found dentists were held back from using teledentistry because of their lack of interest in it, and in many cases, lack of resources. Dr. Abbas Jessani, professor of Dentistry at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. (Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Communications) "Remote dental care is a real need. It has been beneficial, especially in expediting consultations and triaging patients for treatments and follow-ups.