Practical applications of teledentistry during the Covid-19 pandemic in ASEAN member states - a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to determine the utilisation and adoption of teledentistry based solutions and technologies during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Asean region.

BACKGROUND: Teledentistry is a branch of telemedicine that has rapidly advanced in the last few years and has the potential to provide solutions to oral health problems of patients and locations that do not have prompt and immediate access to a dentist or dental services. The Covid-19 has increased the adaption of all digital health technologies and teledentistry is no exception.

METHODOLOGY: The study utilized online databases such as Pubmed (Medline), Scopus (Embase) and CINAHL for the purpose of document search. Newcastle Ottawa (NOS) scale was used to determine the quality of the studies included in our systematic review. PRISMA guidelines were used as the criteria for reporting items in the systematic review.

RESULTS: A total of 1297 documents were found after applying the search criteria and the keywords for the selected study. After applying the Prisma guidelines, removal of duplicates and irrelevant entries, 10 studies that were conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic were selected, fitting the inclusion criteria. All the studies included were evaluated for quality and risk of bias through the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Only high-quality studies were included for the final review.

CONCLUSION: Teledentistry is a cost-effective solution to screen, diagnose and treat dental patients from a distance. Teledentistry also has the potential to continue seamless continuation of dental education to dental students, during disruptive and non-disruptive periods. ASEAN countries should fully utilise the potential of teledentistry, however sound and effective legislation would be the key first step to achieving that potential.