If you are like most dentists, you rely on advice from a variety of specialised professionals. If you are the typical dentist, you refer to the nearest consultant at the nearest hospital and hope that your patient will be seen soon. It is not uncommon for patients to wait 8-12 months to be seen by a specialist.

Recently, 400 general dental practitioners were surveyed about their satisfaction with the current referral service. There was an 84% participation rate.

48% of the referring dentist were dissatisfied. The principal reason given was the length of the waiting time for consultation and treatment. They also felt that the distance for their patients to travel was too great.

42% of the referring dentist felt that the advice received was not helpful. Some had felt that the treatment plans received were too detailed, while others felt they were not detailed enough! Some dentists felt that the techniques mentioned were unfamiliar or unrealistic.

All the dentists expressed the wish for an improved ability to communicate with the consultant and a desire to be involved in the consultation.

Through teledentistry, Dental-Consults enables dentists to have an interactive access to specialist opinion that is not limited by constraints of space and time. Distance and specialist availability are no longer a barrier. We will enable dentists to take more control over their referrals with the opportunity for dental mentoring and continuing education, thereby offering their patients a higher quality of service.