Abstract
India is the largest democracy and the second most populated nation in the world. Although with 190,000 dentists, India ranks top in the absolute number of dental graduates, rural Indians and urban slums remain deprived of quality dental healthcare due to unequal distribution and access. About 1,000 telemedicine nodes have been established by Government/Private/Trust agencies to reinforce the national healthcare delivery system in India however an organised and dedicated teledentistry network is non-existent but for the Collaborative Digital Diagnosis System (CollabDDS). CollabDDS was developed in India for tele-consultation, diagnosis, remote education and as a data repository. It is a remote expert dental programme served between three dental schools with the Centre for Dental Education and Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. There are some major challenges which exist and need to be addressed including lack of government initiatives, reimbursement schemes, data protection laws, technical infrastructure, advanced biological sensors, bandwidth support, orientation among doctors, and linguistic diversity, along with patients’ fear and unfamiliarity. With an area of 3,287 million km2, an urban-rural divide, inaccessible areas, the country is an ideal setting for the provision of eHealth. This paper highlights the present status, challenges and future of teledentistry in India.
Highlights
India is the largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world after China
To reduce sufferings and morbidity associated with oral health diseases, the Government of India launched the first National Oral Healthcare Programme in collaboration with Centre for Dental Education and Research at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in 1999
The National Oral Health Programme which was initiated as a pilot programme was first implemented in one district each in five states across the country
Summary
India is the largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world after China.
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