Dental Innovator
Dr. Scott Howell has created a robust oral health program at AT Still University/Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). The program Dr. Howell helped to launch has trained hundreds of students in teledentistry. Students learn about the concept of teledentistry and examine how they can use it to reach a diverse patient population while also evaluating digital records collected via teledentistry.
Hygiene Innovator
Jingjing Qian RDH, EA was instrumental in developing and implementing a COVID response Guided Oral Hygiene program that continued oral care to long-term care residents who would otherwise not have these critical services. When the pandemic hit, Jingjing and her fellow team members could no longer go in-person to provide dental hygiene care to residents of the long-term care facility. Jingjing and her dentist, Dr. Brooke Fukuoka, partnered with the on-site caregivers to ensure these patients would still receive regular oral hygiene services.
Oral Health Program Innovator
The University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health has produced significant studies on teledentistry. But their innovation has not only been reflected in research but in real-world implementation in oral health programs. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic generated a rapid expansion of the EIOH teledentistry program, allowing patients across multiple service lines to maintain contact with their providers when it was not safe or possible to receive care in person.
COVID-19 Response – Provider Innovator
During the pandemic’s height, many professionals were pausing dental procedures and maintenance appointments because the close proximity of face-to-face interactions posed a very real risk of transmission. Dr. Barry Raphael, a practicing orthodontist for over 30 years, decided to pivot instead of pause. With his patient’s safety as a top priority, he implemented teledentistry. All intraoral photos are submitted remotely, new patient records are completed electronically, and all consultations are conducted through a web-based platform.
COVID-19 Response – Oral Health Program Innovator
Teledentistry was long supported through Advantage Dental’s outreach and mobile programs. The recent teledentistry rollout across their practice locations was even more crucial in addressing urgent care needs during Covid-19. Through virtual consultations, patients had easy access to clinical expertise when practices were open only for emergencies. As practices reopened, Advantage Dental saw the numbers reflect that their teledentistry platform improved the patient experience, saved time for patients and providers, and helped bring convenience for patients already facing access challenges.