Relevance of teleorthodontic tools: a systematic review of the literature

Introduction: The concept of teleorthodontics was recently born; the Covid-19 crise has participated to the emergence and the amplification of this phenomenon.

Objective: The main aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the teleorthodontics relevance.

Method: An electronic and manual search was performed in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane Library) up to December 2021 according to PRISMA guidelines. Both prospective and retrospective studies, as well as case reports, case series and satisfaction surveys published in English or in French without time restriction were included. Two independant reviewers were involved in the selection of the studies and a third reviewer was required in case of disagreement. A bias assessment was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tools.

Results: Out of 1757 articles, 22 articles published mainly between 2019 and 2021 and with varying levels of evidence, were included. Considering the results obtained, different concepts were discussed (time management, quality of communication, reliability and use of tools, satisfaction, quality of human relations, emergency management, compliance).

Conclusions: Teleorthodontics is an interesting and complementary tool that is, in no way, a systematic alternative to face-to-face orthodontic appointments in the office. However, many essential aspects of telemedicine in orthodontics, such as data protection, still need to be investigated in order to fully analyze this tool.