Current State of Teledentistry in Chile

Carlos Zaror; Carolina Vergara-Gonzalez; Natalia Ibalaca; Juan Pablo Olmos; Silvana Perez

doi:10.29086/JISfTeH.7.e12

Carlos Zaror Universidad de La Frontera https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6942-6956
Carolina Vergara-Gonzalez Servicio de Salud Aysén, Coyhaique, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6264-5926
Natalia Ibalaca Departamento de Gestión de Procesos Clínicos Integrados, Ministerio de Salud, Santiago, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0789-2454
Juan Pablo Olmos Departamento de Gestión de Procesos Clínicos Integrados, Ministerio de Salud, Santiago, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-3929
Silvana Perez Hospital Base de Valdivia, Valdivia, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3353-7085

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29086/JISfTeH.7.e12

Keywords: telemedicine, health services, oral health, teledentistry, Chile

Abstract

Chile is a country where the geography and territorial distribution of the population make healthcare a constant challenge. Despite a reported improvement on oral health indicators, some levels of inequality are still noted in terms of access to healthcare services. In this context, teledentistry has been considered an effective tool to respond to the population’s healthcare needs. The aim of this paper is to present the current state of teledentistry in Chile. This paper describes the initiatives and programmes of teledentistry developed in Chile, the ethical and legal aspects, financing sources and pending challenges for its consolidation. It is expected that teledentistry will contribute toward an increase in coverage and access to specialists, improve the appropriateness of referrals and reduce costs of specialist care.

Author Biography

Carlos Zaror, Universidad de La Frontera

Centre for Research in Epidemiology, Economics and Oral Public Health (CIEESPO), Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

Servicio de Salud del Reloncaví, Puerto Montt, Chile

References

Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Censos de población y vivienda. Available at: http://www.ine.cl/estadisticas/censos/censos-de-poblacion-y-vivienda accessed 17 December 2018.

Becerril-Montekio V, Reyes JD, Manuel A. Sistema de Salud de Chile. Salud Pública Mex 2011;53(S2):132-143. https://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S0036-36342011000800009&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es.

Isapres de Chile. El sistema de Salud Chileno. Orígenes, Transformaciones y Desafíos. 2016. Available at: http://www.isapre.cl/PDF/Informe%20Técnico_El%20Sistema%20de%20Salud%20Chileno.pdf accessed 17 December 2018.

MINSAL. Plan nacional de salud bucal 2018-2030. Available at: https://www.minsal.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Plan-Nacional-Salud-Bucal-2018-2030-Consulta-Pública-20_12_2017.pdf accessed 17 December 2018.

MINSAL. Diagnóstico de situación de salud bucal. Available at: https://www.minsal.cl/portal/url/item/7dc33df0bb34ec58e04001011e011c36.pdf accessed 17 December 2018.

Diaz JA, Bustos L, Brandt AC, Fernandez BE. Dental injuries among children and adolescents aged 1-15 years attending to public hospital in Temuco, Chile. Dent Traumatol 2010;26(3):254-261. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-9657.2010.00878.x

Espinoza G, Muñoz-Millán P, Vergara C, et al. Prevalence of early childhood caries in non-fluoridated rural areas of Chile. J Oral Res 2016;5(8): 307-313. DDOI: 10.17126/joralres.2016.064.

MINSAL. Programa nacional de Telesalud. Available at: https://www.minsal.cl/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Programa-Nacional-de-Telesalud.pdf accessed 17 December 2018.

MINSAL. Plan e-salud. Available at: http://www.salud-e.cl/plan/contexto/ accessed 17 December 2018.

MINSAL-DEIS. Reportes REM 2017-2018. Available at: http://webdeis.minsal.cl/rem2018/ accessed 17 December 2018.

MINSAL Lineamientos del uso de telemedicina en referencia y contrareferencia de patología oral. 2017.

World Health Organization. WHO eHealth Resolution. Available at: https://www.who.int/healthacademy/news/en/ accessed 4 April 2019.

Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional. Available at: https://www.leychile.cl/Consulta/ accessed 17 December 2018.

Ministerio de Hacienda. Sistema Público de Salud, Situación actual y proyecciones fiscales 2013-2050. Available at: www.dipres.gob.cl/598/articles-117505_doc_pdf.pdf accessed 17 December 2018.

Servicio de Salud Osorno. Protocolo de referencia y contrarreferencia ortodoncia preventiva e interceptiva. Resolución exenta nº9766. 29 November 2019.

Universidad de Chile. FOUCh crea App educativa odontológica. Available at: http://www.odontologia.uchile.cl/noticias/129630/fouch-crea-app-educativa-odontologica accessed 17 December 2018.

Zaror C, Espinoza-Espinoza G, Atala-Acevedo C, et al. Validation and usability of a mobile phone application for epidemiological surveillance of traumatic dental injuries. Dent Traumatol 2019;35:33-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/edt.12444