Teleconsultation and telediagnosis for oral health assessment: An australian perspective
- Authors: Mariño, Rodrigo , Clarke, Ken , Manton, David , Stranieri, Andrew , Collmann, Richard , Kellet, H , Borda, Ann
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Teledentistry p. 101-112
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- Description: Oral health informatics is the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for problem solving complex and dynamic information and system interactions in dental science and oral health, research and education. In the last few years, there has been rapid development and expansion of the uses of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and it is presently used in many areas of oral health care practice. ICT offers new opportunities to improve oral health care by enhancing early diagnosis, facilitating timely treatment of oral diseases, and reducing isolation of practitioners through communication with peers and consultation with specialists. Above all, ICT offers improved access to care as an effective alternative to classic face-to-face oral health professional-patient interaction, in terms of both clinical results and cost-effectiveness. Still, compared to medicine, teledentistry is rarely used in everyday oral health practice.This chapter reviews developments in teledentistry, outlines the benefits of applications in teledentistry and provides information on the rationale for the use of teledentistry. A second part provides an overview of teledentistry and its uses in different scenarios based on experiences in various research projects in the areas of teleconsultation and telediagnosis in Australia. These are projects that represent responses to the serious dental workforce shortage in underserved Australian communities and are equally applicable to many countries facing the same issue. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.
Cost-analysis of teledentistry in residential aged care facilities
- Authors: Mariño, Rodrigo , Tonmukayakul, Utsana , Manton, David , Stranieri, Andrew , Clarke, Ken
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare Vol. 22, no. 6 (2016), p.326-332
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- Description: Introduction: The purpose of this research was to conduct a cost-analysis, from a public healthcare perspective, comparing the cost and benefits of face-to-face patient examination assessments conducted by a dentist at a residential aged care facility (RACF) situated in rural areas of the Australian state of Victoria, with two teledentistry approaches utilizing virtual oral examination. Methods: The costs associated with implementing and operating the teledentistry approach were identified and measured using 2014 prices in Australian dollars. Costs were measured as direct intervention costs and programme costs. A population of 100 RACF residents was used as a basis to estimate the cost of oral examination and treatment plan development for the traditional face-to-face model vs. two teledentistry models: an asynchronous review and treatment plan preparation; and realtime communication with a remotely located oral health professional. Results: It was estimated that if 100 residents received an asynchronous oral health assessment and treatment plan, the net cost from a healthcare perspective would be AU$32.35 (AU$27.19–AU$38.49) per resident. The total cost of the conventional face-to-face examinations by a dentist would be AU$36.59 ($30.67–AU$42.98) per resident using realistic assumptions. Meanwhile, the total cost of real-time remote oral examination would be AU$41.28 (AU$34.30–AU$48.87) per resident. Discussion: Teledental asynchronous patient assessments were the lowest cost service model. Access to oral health professionals is generally low in RACFs; however, the real-time consultation could potentially achieve better outcomes due to twoway communication between the nurse and a remote oral health professional via health promotion/disease prevention delivered in conjunction with the oral examination
Group-based trajectories of maternal intake of sugar-sweetened beverage and offspring oral health from a prospective birth cohort study
- Authors: Ha, Diep , Nguyen, Huy , Dao, An , Golley, Rebecca , Thomson, W. , Manton, David , Leary, Sam , Scott, Jane , Spencer, Andrew , Do, Loc
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Dentistry Vol. 122, no. (2022), p.
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- Description: Objectives: To investigate the trajectory of maternal intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) during the first five years of their child's life and its effect on the child's dental caries at five years-of-age. Methods: This is an ongoing prospective population-based birth cohort study in Adelaide, Australia. Mothers completed questionnaires on their SSB intake, socioeconomic factors and health behaviors at the birth of their child and at the ages of one, two and five years. Child dental caries measured as decayed, missing, or filled tooth surfaces was collected by oral examination. Maternal SSB intake was used to estimate the trajectory of SSB intake. The trajectories then became the main exposure of the study. Dental caries at age five years were the primary outcomes. Adjusted mean- and prevalence-ratios were estimated for dental caries, controlling for confounders. Results: 879 children had dental examinations at five years-of-age. Group-based trajectory modeling identified three trajectories of maternal SSB intake: ‘Stable low’ (40.8%), ‘Moderate but increasing’ (13.6%), and ‘High early’ trajectory (45.6%). Multivariable regression analysis found children of mothers in the ‘High early’ and ‘Moderate but increasing’ groups to have greater experience of dental caries (MR: 1.37 (95%CI 1.01–1.67), and 1.24 (95%CI 0.96–1.60) than those in the ‘Stable low’ trajectory, respectively. Conclusion: Maternal consumption of SSB during pregnancy and in the early postnatal period influenced their offspring's oral health. It is important to create a low-sugar environment from early childhood. The results suggest that health promotion activities need to be delivered to expecting women or soon after childbirth. © 2022
Trajectories of child free sugars intake and dental caries - a population-based birth cohort study
- Authors: Ha, Diep , Nguyen, Huy , Bell, Lucinda , Devenish-Coleman, Gemma , Golley, Rebecca , Thomson, W. , Manton, David , Leary, Sam , Scott, Jane , Spencer, John , Do, Loc
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Dentistry Vol. 134, no. (2023), p.
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- Description: Objectives: To investigate the association between trajectories of free sugars intake during the first five years of life and dental caries experience at five years. Methods: Data from the SMILE population-based prospective birth cohort study, collected at one, two and five years old, were used. A 3-days dietary diary and food frequency questionnaire were used to estimate free sugars intake (FSI) in grams. The primary outcomes were dental caries prevalence and experience (dmfs). The Group-Based Trajectory Modelling method was used to characterize three FSI trajectories (‘Low and increasing’; ‘Moderate and increasing’; and ‘High and increasing’), which were the main exposures. Multivariable regression models were generated to compute adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) and rate ratios (ARR) for the exposure, controlling for socioeconomic factors. Results: The prevalence of caries was 23.3%, with a mean dmfs of 1.4, and a median of 3.0 among those who had caries. There were clear gradients of caries prevalence and experience by the FSI trajectories. The ‘High and increasing’ had an APR of 2.13 (95%CI 1.23-3.70) and ARR of 2.77 (95%CI 1.45-5.32) against the ‘Low and increasing’. The ‘Moderate and increasing’ group had intermediate estimates. A quarter of the caries cases could have been prevented if the whole study sample had been in the ‘Low and increasing’ FSI trajectory. Conclusion: A sustained, high trajectory of FSI from a young age was positively associated with child dental caries. Measures to minimise consumption of free sugars must commence early in life. Clinical significance: The study has provided high level evidence to inform clinicians’ decisions in promoting a healthy dietary pattern for young children. © 2023