Northern Arizona University hygiene students learn teledentistry

Sep 21, 2009

Advances in digital technologies are giving Northern Arizona University (NAU) dental hygiene students plenty to smile about.

"NAU is not on the cutting edge. ... We are the cutting edge," said Fred Summerfelt, R.D.H., M.Ed., an assistant professor of dental hygiene, referring to the NAU dental hygiene program's new emphasis on teledentistry.

Using portable, digital technology to capture patient x-rays, photographs, and other diagnostic data, dental hygienists trained in teledentistry-assisted screenings can transmit their data to a supervising dentist for diagnosis and prescription. After reviewing the hygienist's data, the supervising dentist can recommend next steps and treatment that otherwise may not have happened for months or even years.

"This becomes a real solution for underserved populations that must contend with limited access to dental care providers," Summerfelt said in a press release. "[It] gets to solving the problem of disparity of oral health among those who are geographically isolated or place-bound."

An added perk, he noted, is that diagnostic data that are acquired digitally are of far better quality than what the eye alone can see in a face-to-face exam. "We have a device that can see a cavity before an x-ray would detect it and equipment that can digitally see oral cancer lesions long before they can be seen by the eye alone."

Summerfelt himself has put the teledentistry-assisted dental hygiene model to the test, providing screenings for Head Start children in affiliation with a local dentist. "No one's doing this but us," he said. "We are well on the way to establishing a profitable business model for future affiliated dental hygiene practices."

NAU's dental hygiene program is still based in traditional dental hygiene practices, he added. "It's not all digital everywhere yet. But incorporating teledentistry into the dental hygiene curriculum means our students will graduate with more practical experience."