Table 1.
Methods of patient consultations with suggested uses within dental assessments
| Context | Traditional face-to-face consultation | Phone consultation only | Phone consultation and photographs | Real-time interactive video consultation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Full dental assessment | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lymphadenopathy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Extraoral swelling, asymmetry or discolouration | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Assessment of systemic involvement | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| TMJ/muscles of mastication | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Assessment of non-accidental injury | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Soft tissue examination | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Tactile examination of swellings/lesions | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hard tissue examination | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Periodontal assessment | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tooth mobility | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Intraoral swellings/sinuses | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Assessment of orthodontic appliances | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Assessment of prosthodontic appliances | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Special investigations | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dental emergency care advice and self-help guidance | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dental treatment (emergency or routine) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Routine review of oral health including oral cancer screening | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
Key: 1 = unlikely to yield clinically significant information 2 = limited but can elicit some clinically significant information 3 = highly likely to elicit clinically significant information | ||||