Diagnostic accuracy of teledentistry for dental caries among children and adolescents (6-18 years): a systematic review

Teledentistry can be used to enhance access to dental care by reducing
treatment and travel costs. It can also improve the quality of dental care
by sharing patient information remotely with dental specialists and
getting their advice in diagnosis and treatment planning. This systematic
review is aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of teledentistry
compared to the standard visual inspection for dental caries among
children and adolescents. We developed search strategies for different
databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Dentistry and oral sciences source) using MeSH
terms and keywords. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted the
studies against the eligibility criteria. The quality assessment for
diagnostic accuracy studies-2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias of
the included studies. In case of any disagreement, the third reviewer was
consulted. We included seven studies that met the inclusion criteria. six
studies reported on validity and one study reported on the feasibility of
teledentistry in diagnosing dental caries. The pooled sensitivity of
teledentistry, when compared to visual examination was 82% (95% CI:
81-84%), and specificity was 90% (95% CI: 89-92). In one study from
Australia, it was reported that the total estimated cost for teledentistry
and visual examination was 50 million dollars and 135 million dollars,
respectively. According to the study findings, teledentistry was 2.7 times
less expensive than the visual examination method. Based on the limited
findings, it is concluded that teledentistry has the potential for
diagnosing dental caries in children and adolecents, but further studies
in varying contexts are needed to ascertain its benefits especially in
low- and middle- income countries.