Use of telemedicine for pre-implant dental assessment - a comparative study.

We evaluated real-time telemedicine for exchanging expert opinions in the area of pre-implant dental assessment. From 2003 to 2005, every tenth patient at the armed forces' dental clinic in Cologne-Wahn seeking implant counselling was discussed via videoconference (intervention group, n = 85). Indications, prosthodontic options, the required number of implants and implant positions were determined. The mean time required for the videoconferences was 3.5 min (range 1.0-9.5). In the control group (n = 772), the implant consultation was performed based on existing records, without using telemedicine. In three cases (3%), a basic change in the prosthodontic concept was required as compared to the telemedicine plan; in the control group, the concept changed in 7% of cases. The changes in the number and position of implants during therapy were also similar in the two groups. The results showed that telemedicine permitted satisfactory preoperative evaluation of the implantation operation.