The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing announced a teledentistry project that allows seniors in the Greater Los Angeles area to receive remote care.
The new project advances the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) system, which was created by the Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. The VDH allows dental hygienists and technicians to work in underserved communities by taking photographs and radiographs of patients' teeth and then uploading that information for dentists to review.
The goal of the project, which is funded by a grant from the California Wellness Foundation, is to serve 400 affordable housing communities and senior centers over the next three years, according to Front Porch Center. Older, especially low-income, adults are significantly less likely than their peers to visit a dentist, so this project helps to address the need for a community-based care approach.
The center is part of Front Porch, a Southern California nonprofit serving retirement and affordable housing communities that focuses on how technology can enhance health and wellness. For the new project, the center will conduct outreach activities with Front Porch and Front Porch community partner locations and also work with partners and senior centers throughout Los Angeles. Dental hygienists will provide first-level intervention by using portable x-ray machines, store-forward technology, and electronic health records. The project will also serve non-English speaking seniors.
"This funding is a great opportunity to introduce the Virtual Dental Home system to a new population, demonstrate the versatility of the system, and help get dental care to a group of people who need it most," said Paul Glassman, DDS, MBA, director of the Pacific Center for Special Care, in a statement. "We are fortunate to be able to work with Front Porch and take advantage of their extensive outreach experience in serving a vulnerable senior population."
