Parental use and acceptance of an accessible, commercially available intraoral camera for teledentistry in their children

• Published in: European archives of paediatric dentistry Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 237 - 246
• Main Authors: Tan, W. K., Chua, D. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acceptance; Adult; Anesthesia; Cameras; Caregivers; Cavitation; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; COVID-19; Dental Care for Children - methods; Dental caries; Dental Caries - diagnostic imaging; Dentistry; Dentists; Feasibility studies; Female; General anesthesia; Humans; Image quality; Male; Medicine; Oral hygiene; Original Scientific Article; Pandemics; Parents; Pediatrics; Photography, Dental - instrumentation; Remote monitoring; SARS-CoV-2; Smartphones; Surgery; Teeth; Telemedicine; Telemedicine - instrumentation; Telemedicine - methods; Video teleconferencing; United States > US; Singapore; Teledentistry; Intraoral camera; Paediatric dentistry
• ISSN: 1818-6300; 1996-9805
• DOI: 10.1007/s40368-024-00878-7

Purpose The potential of combining teledentistry and engaging parents as underutilised resources to monitor paediatric dental health was emphasised during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains underexplored. This study aims to assess parental acceptance and use of a commercially available intraoral camera (IOC) for effective remote monitoring. Methods 47 child–parent dyads, where the parent was the main caregiver and the child was treated under general anaesthesia for early childhood caries, were recruited. Caregivers were trained to image their child’s teeth on a commercially available IOC. Subsequently, submitted images were reviewed asynchronously by dentists for image quality, presence of dislodged fillings, abscesses, cavitation, and oral hygiene. Post-surgery monitoring was performed using teledentistry at 1 and 2 months and in-person at 4 months. A modified Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) was used to record caregiver acceptance for study procedures. Results A mean TUQ of 6.09 out of 7 was scored by caregivers. Caregiver-reported issues were limited to problems with technique and child uncooperativeness. The number of clear images during the second teledentistry review was improved compared to the first ( p  = 0.007). 68% of children liked having images of their teeth taken. Conclusion This study supports the feasibility of using an IOC as a clinically appropriate avenue for teledentistry with a high level of caregiver–child acceptance.