Effectiveness of telehealth in providing preventive oral health care: A pilot evaluation of patient, carer, and clinician experience

Background

This pilot study aimed to characterize the experience, satisfaction, and views on feasibility of an oral health primary prevention telehealth service at a public dental hospital's department of pediatric dentistry, from the viewpoint of patients, carers, and clinicians.

Methods

Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire for parents/guardians, a focus group for clinicians; and were summarized using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, analysis of variance, and by thematic analysis for the qualitative data.

Results

Thirty-seven parents/guardians and four clinicians were included. The mean patient age was 5 years (SD = 3.3). Over half of the parents (51.4%) were aged 30–39 years. There was high satisfaction (97.3%) and acceptability (81.1%) of the telehealth service. Native English-speakers were significantly more likely to agree that telehealth was an acceptable mode of preventive care and that they would use it again (p = 0.033). Parents reporting difficulty traveling to dental appointments were significantly more likely to score favorably in categories of usefulness, technical quality, and satisfaction relating to telehealth (all p < 0.001). Important themes from the clinician focus group included specific benefits for patients with special needs or who live rurally, reduced stress on families, and an enhanced focus on prevention.

Conclusions

The findings suggest ongoing benefits of providing preventive oral health services as an adjunct to face-to-face care, especially to the identified subset of patients who will benefit the most.