About 1 in 6 children aged 6 to 9 years old in the U.S. have untreated tooth decay and about half will have experienced cavities by age 9. A shortage of dentists trained to care for children contributes to these statistics and disproportionately affects rural areas. Establishing a virtual dental home that uses telehealth to connect patients with dental providers can improve access to care in these communities by enabling remote consultations. Training models to help providers become more comfortable with teledentistry delivery are lacking. To increase adoption of the virtual dental home model and provide training, the authors partnered local dentists with academic centers. This program primarily targeted students who are lower income or on Medicaid. The program improved access to preventive dental care for school children, shown by an increase in visits, screenings, and preventive services. Trainees reported improved confidence in delivering care using this model after completing the program. The virtual dental home model is a promising solution for improving access to preventive care among underserved populations. Academic institutions can partner with dental providers to increase provider confidence in delivering care in this way. Dental training programs can integrate teledentistry to help close care gaps for underserved communities.
