Dentistry Today
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of teledentistry, a strategy that improved access to oral health services despite full or partial closure of dental practices. Teledentistry was successfully utilized for triage, consultation, diagnosis, referral, follow-up, and health education, reducing the number of in-person visits.
A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) explored the use of teledentistry by safety-net organizations which include Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), to bridge access to care during the pandemic.