A Systematic Umbrella Review of the Effects of Teledentistry on Costs and Oral-Health Outcomes

Janneke Scheerm, Alaa Qari, Harmen Bijwaard, Laura Swinckels, Nicolas Giraudeau, Berno van Meijel and Rodrigo Mariño
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Janneke Scheerm: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Alaa Qari: Umm Al-Qura University
Harmen Bijwaard: RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment [Bilthoven]
Laura Swinckels: UvA - University of Amsterdam [Amsterdam] = Universiteit van Amsterdam
Nicolas Giraudeau: CEPEL - Centre d'Etudes Politiques Et sociaLes : Environnement, Santé, Territoires - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UM - Université de Montpellier, CHU Montpellier = Montpellier University Hospital - CHRU Montpellier - Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [Montpellier]
Berno van Meijel: Parnassia Psychiatric Institute [The Hague], Amsterdam UMC - Amsterdam University Medical Centers
Rodrigo Mariño: UFRO - Universidad de la frontera [Tecumo, Chile] = University of La Frontera [Tecumo, Chile] = Université de La Frontera [Tecumo, Chili], University of Melbourne

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Abstract: Teledentistry offers possibilities for improving efficiency and quality of care and supporting cost-effective healthcare systems. This umbrella review aims to synthesize existing systematic reviews on teledentistry and provide a summary of evidence of its clinical- and cost-effectiveness. A comprehensive search strategy involving various teledentistry-related terms, across seven databases, was conducted. Articles published until 24 April 2023 were considered. Two researchers independently reviewed titles, abstracts and full-text articles. The quality of the included reviews was critically appraised with the AMSTAR-2 checklist. Out of 749 studies identified, 10 were included in this umbrella review. Two reviews focusing on oral-health outcomes revealed that, despite positive findings, there is not yet enough evidence for the long-term clinical effectiveness of teledentistry. Ten reviews reported on economic evaluations or costs, indicating that teledentistry is cost-saving. However, these conclusions were based on assumptions due to insufficient evidence on cost-effectiveness. The main limitation of our umbrella review was the critically low quality of the included reviews according to AMSTAR-2 criteria, with many of these reviews basing their conclusions on low-quality studies. This highlights the need for high-quality experimental studies (e.g., RCTs, factorial designs, stepped-wedge designs, SMARTs and MRTs) to assess teledentistry's clinical- and cost-effectiveness.

Keywords: telemedicine; remote care; digital technology; teledentistry; oral health; dental; telehealth; review; digital health; effectiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-03-19
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04524687v1
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Published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2024, 21 (4), pp.407. ⟨10.3390/ijerph21040407⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04524687

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040407

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