How teledentistry is expanding and energizing practice settings
By Anne Guignon, RDH, MPH, CSP, and Cindy M. Purdy, RDH, BS, CEAS
It’s vacation time! Spending time in the Big Apple has been on your bucket list for years. Now you’re standing right in the middle of the fabled Times Square. People of all sizes, ages, and nationalities are moving through the famous area. Some are old; others are young. Some are living on the streets; others live very comfortable lives. Some appear to be very healthy; others look frail and sickly. Times Square is a beehive of humanity.
The looming crisis
It takes a few minutes to soak in all the sights and smells. Glancing upward, your eye catches The Zipper, the famous New York Times news ticker. Headline after headline streams across the screen. The Zipper has been alerting crowds to breaking news headlines since 1928. Today is no exception. This moment’s visual sound bites are about oral health: Looming crisis—Lack of quality, affordable dental health affects millions in the US…Dental care: highest financial barrier of all health services…51 million lost school hours due to dental issues…Severe periodontitis associated with increased risk: stroke, heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory illness…50% of children age 5 to 9 have had one area of decay…RDH magazine reports Utah dental hygienist, Staci Stout, develops a sustainable business model that provides quality dental services to at-risk children and seniors. Stout works outside of a traditional dental office, harnessing the power of portable equipment and tele-dentistry communication platforms…