The validity of teledentistry examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney, Australia

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, non-urgent dental treatments were deferred. To identify and prioritize urgent dental patients, teledentistry was implemented across NSW public dental services. This study aimed to establish the validity of teledentistry examinations to provide a clinical diagnosis compared to face-to-face, clinical examination. Methods: A retrospective review using convenience sampling was used to source clinical data from a public dental service for two periods in 2020 and 2021. Researchers compared the diagnoses identified from teledentistry consultations with follow-up face-to-face consultations, diagnoses were grouped into 14 sub-categories that broadly covered common oral health conditions and pathologies. Sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV were calculated. Results: The study included 1965 patients who underwent teledentistry followed by face-to-face consultations, with a mean age of 47.79 ± 21.92 years. Teledentistry showed high specificity ranging from 74.08% to 99.95% while the sensitivity ranged from 18.75% to 100%. The highest specificity (99.90%) was noted for diagnosing orthodontic concerns. The lowest specificity was observed for irreversible pulpal diseases at 74.08%. Conclusion: Teledentistry has a role in public dental services, diagnosing various dental conditions and identifying patient acuity. It can provide patients with oral health information/advice and ensures effective use of emergency appointments within public dental services.