Mohamed Estai1, Yogesan Kanagasingam2, Boyen Huang3, Julia Shiikha1, Estie Kruger1, Stuart Bunt1, Marc Tennant1. 1. 1 International Research Collaborative-Oral Health and Equity: School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia , Perth, Australia . 2. 2 Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO , Perth, Australia . 3. 3 School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Charles Sturt University , Orange, Australia .
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile teledentistry approach using a smartphone camera for remote screening of dental caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An image acquisition Android App was created to facilitate the acquisition and transmission of dental images to a store-and-forward based telemedicine server. One hundred participants who were attending routine checkups at dental clinics were enrolled in 2014. Following a face-to-face oral screening by a screener (dentist), images of patients' teeth were obtained using a smartphone camera. These images, along with patient information, were then transmitted from the Android App to the server through the Internet for later independent assessment by two charters (off-site dentists). The assessments of these charters were then compared to the benchmark face-to-face caries assessment. RESULTS: Sensitivity values for the photographic method when compared to the benchmark face-to-face caries assessment were moderate, and ranged from 60% to 63%. Weighted kappa (K) as a measure of intragrader agreement for the photographic assessment was estimated as almost perfect (K = 0.84). The intergrader agreement for the photographic method compared to the face-to-face caries assessment ranged from moderate to substantial (K = 0.54-0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Despite some limitations, the mobile teledentistry approach has shown the potential to detect occlusal caries from photographs taken by a smartphone camera with an acceptable diagnostic performance compared to traditional face-to-face screening. This study suggests that telemedicine and cellular phone technology can be combined to create an inexpensive and reliable screening tool.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile teledentistry approach using a smartphone camera for remote screening of dental caries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An image acquisition Android App was created to facilitate the acquisition and transmission of dental images to a store-and-forward based telemedicine server. One hundred participants who were attending routine checkups at dental clinics were enrolled in 2014. Following a face-to-face oral screening by a screener (dentist), images of patients' teeth were obtained using a smartphone camera. These images, along with patient information, were then transmitted from the Android App to the server through the Internet for later independent assessment by two charters (off-site dentists). The assessments of these charters were then compared to the benchmark face-to-face caries assessment. RESULTS: Sensitivity values for the photographic method when compared to the benchmark face-to-face caries assessment were moderate, and ranged from 60% to 63%. Weighted kappa (K) as a measure of intragrader agreement for the photographic assessment was estimated as almost perfect (K = 0.84). The intergrader agreement for the photographic method compared to the face-to-face caries assessment ranged from moderate to substantial (K = 0.54-0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Despite some limitations, the mobile teledentistry approach has shown the potential to detect occlusal caries from photographs taken by a smartphone camera with an acceptable diagnostic performance compared to traditional face-to-face screening. This study suggests that telemedicine and cellular phone technology can be combined to create an inexpensive and reliable screening tool.
Authors: Baichen Ding; Zhuo Zhang; Yiran Liang; Weiwei Wang; Siwei Hao; Ze Meng; Lian Guan; Ying Hu; Bin Guo; Runlian Zhao; Yan Lv Journal: Ann Transl Med Date: 2021-11
Authors: Eduardo K Kohara; Camilla G Abdala; Tatiane F Novaes; Mariana M Braga; Ana E Haddad; Fausto M Mendes Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-09-06 Impact factor: 3.240