Delivering dental care as we emerge from the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: teledentistry and face-to-face consultations in a new clinical world

At a time when access to health care and services for the global population is a concern due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals and their teams are struggling to find a way to adapt their practices. Dental professional organizations and decision-makers are required to provide guidance in a rapidly evolving environment based on the current data, available research, and existing knowledge. Continuous progress in the information communication technology field and universal access to social communication platforms have allowed clinicians to creatively transcend some of the existing traditional barriers in clinical and technological workflows. The aim of this paper is to provide insight and propose future directions concerning the use of teledentistry for dental care in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the continuous implementation of teledentistry in noncrisis scenarios. This paper provides information to support the use of teledentistry as a promising avenue for dental professionals when possible, during and possibly beyond the outbreak. Keywords: crisis management, dental trauma, emergency, evidence-based practice, telehealth