Teledentistry: Bridging Global Oral Health Gaps Through Digital Innovations

Teledentistry, the integration of digital technologies into oral healthcare, has emerged as a transformative solution to address global disparities in dental access. With 69% of dentists concentrated in Europe and the U.S. serving only 27% of the global population, teledentistry bridges gaps through remote diagnosis, consultation, and education. This review highlights key applications including rural outreach programmes that achieve high diagnostic concordance with in-person exams, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered postoperative monitoring that reduces follow-ups, cross-border specialist consultations, and virtual reality (VR)-enhanced dental education that improves learning outcomes. Core technologies such as high-resolution imaging, secure data systems, and AI diagnostics demonstrate reliability comparable to traditional methods, though challenges like internet reliability and reimbursement policies persist. Economic analyses suggest cost savings, but evidence quality remains low. While patient satisfaction is high, particularly in underserved regions, yet older adults face adoption barriers. This review synthesizes teledentistrys applications in diagnosis, consultation, education, and postoperative care, evaluating its clinical and economic value, identifying implementation barriers, and proposing strategies for standardized adoption.