Envisage Increasing Oral Health of Indonesian Rural Peoples Through Teledentistry

Abstract

Indonesian rural peoples have a certain culture in the behavior of seeking dental and oral health. They have some problems to access oral health. They have problems with their territory and society itself. Most of them have less money, fewer teeth, more cavities, and worse health status than non-rural peoples. This literature review aims to refresh views on teledentistry as a solution to improve oral health and avoid its obstacles. Search for the most recent articles published since 2020 in a database of research in November 2022 on Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed. Qualifying articles were then extracted and summarized based on situational analysis. Teledentistry is a solution to address the problems of rural peoples by reaching dental and oral health service facilities directly. Progressive medical equipment and instruments have made teledentistry a more appropriate way to reach patients on a large scale by providing teleconsulting support anytime and anywhere through internet-based media platforms. Campaigning for awareness of rural peoples on various health issues and promoting valuable information can be achieved. Teledentistry reduces the burden on rural peoples and dental practitioners in disastrous situations. Therefore, it plays an important role in serving rural peoples with progressive management strategies and best fulfilling their treatment needs. More recently, teledentistry has not become an important part of normal oral health care. In the future, teledentistry will become another way to access oral health care.