Teleodontology as a tool for adolescent oral health care

Abstract

Adolescence comprises a life cycle with high contact to information and communication technological tools. For this reason, it was decided to incorporate these tools into the oral health work process aimed at this public. The COVID-19 pandemic contextualized the use of digital technological tools in several productive sectors, including oral health care in the Unified Health System. Objective: The objective was to stimulate the use of teledentistry in the oral health care of adolescents in Primary Health Care in the Ceará interior. Methods: The participants were adolescents between 12 and 15 years old from two micro areas of the territory, in total there are 25 participants. The intervention was divided into three stages: application of an electronic form, creation of an instant messaging application group and creation and expansion of a flow for access to the service. Results: The reasons for the dropout in dental consultations by adolescents were the lack of vacancies, long wait and the low number of educational actions aimed at health. In the messaging application group, remote educational activities were carried out, as well as restructuring of the dental care flow with the possibility of scheduling a first appointment through the group. Conclusion: The interaction obtained in the intervention favored the improvement of access to dental appointments.