Flushing, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/27/2014 -- Thanks to the modern technology, dental health procedures are now enhanced with patients assured that they get the highest level of dental care. But these advancements in dental technology are not merely made for those who can afford. The world is endowed with great minds who care much for the betterment of humanity and this is proven with how telehealth – the application of technology in the provision of health care assistance at a distance – has made such a huge impact in giving underserved children to be connected to dental health providers.

The Virtual Dental Home, a telemedicine project that is bound to improve access to dental care for the underserved population in California is a proof of how technology can provide novel and enhanced delivery of important health care services in the world. In California, the home of VDH innovator, telehealth has been proven effective and other states are expected to adopt the said technology as well. Children’s Partnership Fonder and Co-President Wendy Lazarus lauds VDH program and mentioned in one of her keynote speeches that "This is a huge victory for California's children and children across the nation. By combining workforce innovations with advances in technology, California is now one step closer to closing the dental care gap kids face and reducing the number of children who miss school or are distracted by pain resulting from the number one chronic health problem among children -- dental disease."

The Root Cause

VDH is a product of California’s physician shortage. The approval of the Affordable Care Act has indeed increased the demands for health practitioners including dental practitioners where scarcity is at is premium. In a study done by the Association of American Medical Colleges, there are only five counties of California’s 58 who are being served by health practitioners, in which only 60% of the total health practitioners in the said state are practicing. As a result of this, rural residents are obliged to travel long distances just to see a doctor, leaving a large population of people opting not to seek medical help.

Telemedicine / Telehealth Premise

Telemedicine provides immense assurance for the practice of medicine. Its possibility of resolving issues concerning access to information, providing specialist counsel readily, offering standards of excellence, and accumulating full patient databases are among the type of advancements yet to be realized. Telemedicine indisputably has already turned out to be part of medical care in New York. Digital Dental Arts, a premium provider of pediatric dentistry in Queens, New York, has been participating in telehealth services for the past few years. The application of telemedicine can be distinguished as follows:

- The geographic severance between the patient and the health provider.
- The utilization of telecommunication and associated technology to collate, accumulate and distribute health-related information.
- The use of electronic interactive tools in evaluating, diagnosing and/or treating medical conditions.

The Process

The concept of telehealth lies in the model that just like in any face-to-face interactions, patients’ medical records are being gathered and stored based on the existing medical record standards. These medical records are the ones being used in further assessing patients’ conditions. What patients can expect from a personal commute to the hospital or dental clinic is the same experience they will expect from telehealth services wherein the same standards of the medical records are being used. These medical records serve as the legal documents that can be used for legal matters. Confidentiality of these medical records are ensured as well.

The Future

In the field of dental health, telemedicine or dental health is expected to be embraced by both dental practitioners and patients alike. The end of goal is to ensure restoration and sustenance of everyone’s optimal health.

About Digital Dental Arts
At Digital Dental Arts, they bring together state of the art dental and laboratory services. With their doctors and laboratory master technicians working side by side, there are no smile challenges they cannot overcome. Come and see what they can do for your smile!