Synchronous Teledentistry in a University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic: Impact on Treatment Completion and Visit Attendance.

Purpose: To assess whether there were differences in treatment completion and visit attendance between patients who had a new patient synchronous teledentistry visit and those who did not. Methods: The sample included 654 children aged one to 17 referred to the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA; 82 (12.5 percent) had a first visit by teledentistry and 572 (87.5 percent) in person. Electronic dental records were reviewed. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to compare treatment completion and second-visit attendance between groups. In addition, subgroup analyses were conducted for children scheduled in the operating room and the dental clinic. Results: In bivariate analyses, treatment completion and second-visit attendance were not significantly different between groups. Children seen by teledentistry did not have significantly different odds of treatment completion (odds ratio [OR] equals 1.278, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] equals 0.68 to 2.57; P=0.47) or second visit attendance (OR equals 0.695, 95 percent CI equals 0.35 to 1.29; P=0.27) relative to children with an initial visit in person. The dental clinic and operating room subgroups had similar trends. Conclusion: Children seen for an initial visit by teledentistry or in person achieved comparable degrees of treatment completion and second-visit attendance, thereby improving access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]