During his webinar with Mouthwatch, Dr. Howell discussed a checklist for providers to use when performing a patient assessment via synchronous teledentistry.
Question reminders for a teledentistry exam
- Is there pain? Swelling? Both?
- How severe is the pain/swelling?
- Is it limited to just around the gums? Does it appear extraorally?
- How large is the swelling?
- Is the swelling indurated (firm) or fluctuant (water in a bag feeling)?
- Is there any purulence present?
- When did pain/swelling begin?
- Has the pain/swelling changed?
- If the pain/swelling has changed, what time frame did it occur in?
- Is the patient having any difficulty talking, breathing, swallowing, or opening?
- Are there any other structures affected?
- Maxillary: Is the tissue around the eye affected?
- Mandibular: Can you palpate the inferior border of the mandible?
- Intraoral: Is the uvula dropping to the tongue? Is the uvula deviating? Is the tongue being elevated?
- Is there any lymphadenopathy? Is there a fever? Does the patient appear toxic?
- If the patient is a child, is their behavior different than normal? Are they really grumpy, want to be left alone, not playing like they usually do, etc?
Full guidance document from webinar
The full guidance document from the webinar also contains pre-consult and patient instruction tips for teledentistry, as well as visuals you can use to help the patient see what they need to show:
Dr. Howell
Scott Howell, DMD, MPH is Assistant Professorand Director of Teledentistry atA.T. Still University,Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. He develops clinical programs,screeningand imaging protocols, and educational curriculum, including curriculumfor teledentistry applications. Dr. Howell is on the Covid-19 Advisory Response Team for MouthWatch.