EXPLORING QUANTITATIVE VARIATIONS IN ORAL LESION DIAGNOSIS AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF TELEDENTISTRY IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Teledentistry (TD) has emerged as a strategy for ensuring the continuity of oral healthcare by providing guidance, health education, monitoring, and oral lesion diagnosis. However, accurately assessing whether these lesions diagnose in teleconsultations in government databases is not precise. In this context, this study analyzed the role of TD through quantitative variations in the diagnosis of Soft Tissue Alterations (STA) in Brazil and its macroregions, intending to discuss its possibilities and limitations. The first dental consultations (FDC) represented the decline in access. FDC and STA data were from the Primary Care Health Information System (SISAB) between January 2019 and December 2021. The analysis utilizes Friedman and Post-Hoc Durbin-Conover tests, with a significance level of 5%. The information was tabulated based on statistically significant percentage differences. As a result, in 2021, median FDC values in Brazil remained low in most regions (-35.73%, p<0.001), but STA returned to 2019 levels (+2.47% in 2021, p=1.0). The median STA in the Southern region was the only one with a non-statistically significant reduction in 2020 (-19.67%, p=0.064) and a statistically significant increase in 2021 (+15.08%, p=0.011). Likely, the expansion of TD usage in Brazil and previous experience with telehealth in the Southern region contributed to the maintenance of STAs diagnosis during the pandemic. TD provides favorable diagnoses in managing STA, with low costs and good acceptance among patients and professionals. However, structural investments in healthcare facilities, digital network provision, technical and humanized training of healthcare teams for teleconsultations, and integrated involvement of Higher Education Institutions in healthcare services are necessary.