An article in the North Carolina Medical Journal authored by members of the CareQuest Institute Health Transformation team highlights that teledentistry is a valuable technology tool and demonstrates how critical state-based approaches to transformation are in improving access to oral health care.
The authors write:
The role that health technologies like telehealth continue to play in growing and easing access to care and enhancing communication and exchange of information cannot be overlooked.”
North Carolina was a key setting for CareQuest Institute’s Community Oral Health Transformation (COrHT), which launched in July of 2022. The support from stakeholders and recent regulatory changes allowed participants to use teledentistry as a tool to address their communities’ unique needs. At the start of the initiative, only 4 of 12 participating clinics used teledentistry. By July 2023, that number had doubled to 8 clinics, driving a surge in visits — from 448 in the baseline year (July 2021–June 2022) to 1,463 during the initiative.
Additional Key Takeaways:
- Teledentistry demonstrably increases access to dental care, especially for preventive services.
- Effective implementation requires comprehensive support, including resources, training, and infrastructure improvements.
- Wider adoption depends on addressing reimbursement limitations and workforce challenges through policy adjustments.
Read the article in the North Carolina Medical Journal (open access)
You may also be interested in:
- Teledentistry and Community Learning Help Kids Get Care in North Carolina, a blog post about how a Federally Qualified Health Center uses teledentistry to deliver care to more than 1,200 children in rural communities.
- Teledentistry Helps Provide the Right Care at the Right Time, a research report that examines follow-up treatment and oral health outcomes for patients after a teledentistry visit.
- Teledentistry Regulation and Policy Guidance, a toolkit for promoting access and quality care through teledentistry.