Dorota T. Kopycka-Kedzierawski (
Sean W. McLaren is an associate professor in and chair of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Dec;37(12):1960-1966. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05102.
Dental caries is the most prevalent infectious disease among US children. National surveys have shown that poor and minority-group children are not only disproportionately affected by dental caries but also have limited access to oral health care. Following successful exploratory applications of both synchronous and asynchronous models at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, teledentistry has been demonstrated to be a practical and cost-effective way to improve oral health care for rural and disadvantaged children. These models support the role of teledentistry in reducing the costs of and barriers to accessing oral health care, improving oral health outcomes, increasing use of oral health care resources, and leading to the establishment of a dental home for underserved children. The advancement of teledentistry underscores the need for its integration with local, regional, and national telehealth programs and the role of policy makers in establishing a balanced framework for teledentistry within the overarching health care system.
龋齿是美国儿童中最普遍的传染病。全国性调查显示，贫困和少数族裔儿童不仅受到龋齿的不成比例影响，而且获得口腔保健的机会有限。在伊士曼口腔健康研究所成功探索性地应用同步和异步模式之后，远程牙科已被证明是改善农村和弱势儿童口腔保健的一种实用且具有成本效益的方法。这些模式支持远程牙科在降低口腔保健费用和获取障碍、改善口腔健康结果、增加口腔保健资源的使用以及为服务不足的儿童建立牙科之家方面的作用。远程牙科的发展强调了将其与本地、区域和国家远程医疗计划相结合的必要性，以及政策制定者在建立全面医疗保健系统内远程牙科平衡框架方面的作用。
