Résumé
Teledentistry can be considered as a valuable tool to assist isolated or disadvantaged populations and to improve access to oral healthcare. The application of teledentistry has demonstrated interesting results in many fields of Dentistry. The objective of this chapter is to review the literature on the attempt to associate teledentistry and orthodontics. Most of the collected studies described and evaluated teledentistry as a means to improve effectiveness of orthodontic referrals and consultancy. Other researches focused on evaluating the use of teledentistry for remote diagnosis, monitoring, and motivation of orthodontic patients. After critically reviewing the collected evidence, it was considered that teledentistry might be used as a helpful tool for referring patients or providing consultancy to general practitioners. The possible benefits included the ability of decreasing the number of inappropriate referrals and encouraging previously trained general practitioners to treat cases. Minor issues, such as the small likelihood of patients being neglected, as well as the lack of standardization during records preparation, are still a concern. There is a clear trend among professionals toward a supportive position of teledentistry use allied with orthodontic practice. Nevertheless, most of the general practitioners still present concerns in relation to workload increase. Literature is still scarce on cost studies of teledentistry. It is therefore suggested that future researchers address that gap in addition to conduct methodologically stronger studies focused not only on the financial aspects of teledentistry, but also on the clinical outcomes of the treatment provided with the aid of this system.