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. 2020 May 13;17(10):3399.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103399.

Can Teledentistry Improve the Monitoring of Patients during the Covid-19 Dissemination? A Descriptive Pilot Study

Amerigo Giudice  1   2 , Selene Barone  1   2 , Danila Muraca  1   2 , Fiorella Averta  1   2 , Federica Diodati  1   2 , Alessandro Antonelli  1   2 , Leonzio Fortunato  1   2
Affiliations

Can Teledentistry Improve the Monitoring of Patients during the Covid-19 Dissemination? A Descriptive Pilot Study

Amerigo Giudice et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to describe the advantages of telemedicine (TM) in dental practice during the current national emergency condition due to the Covid-19 dissemination. At Department of Oral Surgery and Pathology-Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, regional reference center for Covid-19-two groups of patients were determined: patients with urgent conditions (group U) and patients in follow-up (group F). Both groups were instructed to implement remote consultations using a messaging service (WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Inc., Mountain View, California, USA) to send photos. A total of 418 photos were collected by 57 patients. Thirty-four photos were obtained by five patients in the U group after surgical procedures. All patients sent photos on the established evening, except for two patients who sent two photos outside the set days. In the F group, 384 photos were collected by 52 patients. None of them sent more photos than the number that was established by the protocol. Telemedicine allowed a monitoring of all patients, reducing costs and limiting human contact, decreasing the risk of Covid-19 dissemination.

Keywords: Covid-19; WhatsApp; community dentistry; dental public health; dentistry; teledentistry; telemedicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

General practitioner

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A female patient, 28 years old, undergoing a periodic follow-up after a surgical treatment of third molar removal. The collection of photos highlighted the ease of taking good quality photos and examining them, allowing management through telemedicine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A male patient, 55 years old, undergoing a periodic follow-up after the telematic first visit. A diagnosis of sialolithiasis was performed by analyzing medical history and patient photos. Behavioural instructions and pharmacological therapy were given to the patient. Photo collection showed facial swelling in the right parotid region and intraoral condition with swelling of the Stenone duct at the first consultation; face healing occurred after two weeks.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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