Remote working in dentistry in a time of crisis – tools and their uses

Coronavirus Disease 2019, or more commonly COVID-19, is a global healthcare crisis with an unprecedented number of deaths and countries taking extraordinary action to try and control the spread of the virus.^1,2 During COVID-19, healthcare resources have been directed to fight the pandemic with the cancellation of the majority of routine medical treatment and the cessation of routine Dentistry.³ In the United Kingdom, COVID-19 has led to the implementation of countrywide measures to curb the spread of the virus and to help save lives, including; social distancing, self-isolation and shielding.¹ To enable these social distancing measures, the use of technology has allowed flexible and remote working. This has been embraced in healthcare and implemented in a variety of contexts during this time of crisis.

Although remote working is already used in many industries, it has not previously been widely used in healthcare. During COVID-19 it has been necessary to rethink many conventional ways of working, including utilizing remote working with the use of; video conference calling for professionals, apps that allow patients to share photographs with clinicians and the use of telemedicine clinics. When using these tools it is imperative that the highest standards of patient care are maintained, which is emphasized by the General Medical Council statement that ‘digital and technological advances may present a more convenient way for patients to access healthcare, but it is important that these services do not compromise standards of care and patient safety’.⁴