Asynchronous teledentistry program in two long-term care facilities: Iowa's virtual dental home pilot project.

Autor: Hartshorn JE; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Nwachukwu PC; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Heeren T; Health Research and Policy, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Castelaz M; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Johnson T; Community Health Centers Southeastern Iowa, Keokuk, Iowa, USA., Pendleton C; Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Glassman P; California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine, Elk Grove, California, USA., Levy SM; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA., Reynolds JC; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry [Spec Care Dentist] 2024 Oct 16. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 16.
DOI: 10.1111/scd.13074
Abstrakt: Introduction: Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) often have poor oral health and difficulty accessing dental services. The aim was to implement a virtual dental home (VDH) program for residents in two LTCFs utilizing asynchronous teledentistry techniques and mobile dental equipment.
Methods: This pilot project was a 6-month longitudinal cohort study in two LTCFs. Dental hygienists and dentists from a local community health care center utilized asynchronous teledentistry to provide diagnostic and preventive dental services onsite and to establish a dental home for additional comprehensive care services. Data were collected, including resident's demographics, oral health status, and dental services received. Descriptive data analyses, Wilcoxon signed rank, and McNemar tests were conducted.
Results: Thirty-four residents completed in-person baseline oral exams and 16 residents completed the recall exams. Ninety-two percent (n = 23) of dentate residents (n = 25) had untreated caries and 64% (n = 16) of dentate residents had at least one sextant of severe gingival inflammation. The median number of teeth with active untreated caries (p = .01) significantly decreased and arrested caries (p = .02) significantly increased from baseline.
Conclusion: Iowa's VDH pilot project was successful in establishing a dental home using asynchronous teledentistry for residents in two LTCFs and providing resident access to preventive and disease control dental services.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Special Care in Dentistry published by Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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