Teledentistry in Texas: Opportunities to Increase Access to Care

Dr. Scott Howell is an associate professor and Director of Public Health Dentistry & Teledentistry at A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH), clinical advisor for MouthWatch, and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity. Prior to dental school, Dr. Howell worked in portable dentistry as a dental assistant in Michigan going to long term care facilities, detention centers, and inner-city schools. He graduated from the ATSU-ASDOH DMD/MPH program in 2014. He spent one year at the Swedish Medical Center GPR in Seattle treating patients with complex medical conditions and special needs. After residency, he returned to ATSU-ASDOH to develop a teledentistry program. Interested in learning more about the broader aspects of oral health, he completed a dental public health residency at UT Health San Antonio in 2019. He became board certified in dental public health in 2020. He has spoken at state, national, and international levels on teledentistry, written extensively on the subject, and has advocated for changes in teledentistry policy and laws in his home state of Arizona.

• Financial Disclosure

Presenter Contact Information:
Dr. Scott Howell: showell@atsu.edu

Course Description

Teledentistry can be categorized in primarily two ways. One way is based on the use of technology. The American Dental Association (ADA) has adopted health industry standard definitions based on the technology (asynchronous, synchronous, remote patient monitoring, and mobile health)…  The second way to categorize teledentistry is by the situation in which it is used. This can include patient-to provider transfer of images, provider-to-provider consultation, pre- and post-visit interactions, limited community interventions, and full-service community systems where the objective is to keep people healthy in the community site and use a dental office only for procedures that cannot be completed in the community.  (ASTDD, “Best Practice Approach Teledentistry: Opportunities for Expanding the Capacity and Reach of the Oral Healthcare System”)

According to the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD), “Teledentistry has the potential to be part of a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery that can play a key role in mitigating barriers and improving health for populations with traditionally poor access to dental care and oral health services. “ 

During this session, attendees will have the opportunity to learn how Texas dental providers can incorporate teledentistry into their care models that work best in their practice and their patients. They will also learn how dental students are being trained to use teledentistry to its maximum potential.  

Learning Objectives

1. Describe how teledentistry can be utilized in Texas based on current state rules and regulations
2. Identify models of care and/or application of teledentistry under the current state rules and regulations
3. List topics regarding dental education and preparing future providers to use teledentistry