Clear Idea #4

6 www.acasociety.com | info@acasociety.com Product Review: Dental Monitoring Review by Bridgette Davey D ental monitoring has been one of the biggest advancement in clear aligner treatment over the last decade with dental practitioners being able to remotely monitor clear aligner treatment. This enables practitioners to oversee more patients with increased accuracy and with less clinical chair time, essentially re-modelling the traditional practice workflow.  How it works: The Dental Monitoring app assists patients in taking a series of photos at set intervals determined by the overseeing dental practitioner. The photos are taken by the patient in the comfort of their own home, not in a clinical setting. Patients use their own smartphone and download a free app via the app store. The photos that are captured by the patient are then uploaded and assessed by Artificial Intelligence technology. The assessment recognises and assesses a number of areas such as fit of the aligner, appliance care, gingival recession, gingival inflammation, evidence of calculus and missing attachments just to name a few. Once the scans are assessed the patient is then told if they proceed forward to the next aligner or to hold for an additional number of days before reassessing with another scan.  Dental Monitoring began with just the smartphone scans using only cheek retractors; however images were compromised with bad lighting and inaccurate angulation. The introduction of the scan box as part of the process has improved the quality of photos and standardizes the scanning process. The in- app chat feature has been great in that it allows two-way text communication with patients which also remains documented for medicolegal reasons. We have welcomed Dental Monitoring technology into our practice and are now rolling this technology out for almost all new case starts. Dental Monitoring so far has beenwell received by the vast majority of patients with the introduction of appointment by demand philosophy. The ability to assess each aligner fit reduces Use: Remotely monitoring tooth movement, oral health, oral hygiene and appliance care. - Less chair time - As a general dental practice, this allows more time for other dental treatments  - Patient convenience with less ‘ineffective’ appointments for patients, less travelling - makes patients more accountable for their treatment when they know we are watching- the Hawthorne effect  - Better documentation of treatment  - Keeps patients motivated as they can review progress with ongoing photos  - Can be used with any clear aligner therapy - Allows for the individualization of protocols between practices  - Set up can be done by support staff or anyone familiar with the technology   - Identifies poor oral Hygiene  - Patients are required to have an adequate understanding of technology  - Patients require a smartphone  - Quality of photos can vary based on patient’s phone and technique (but this has improved since the introduction of the scan box which standardizes all scans)  - Glitches within the app  - DM set up for patients increase length of time for first aligner appointments  EFFECTIVENESS PRICE EASE OF USE Example of bad compliance Example notification of attachment missing Example of good compliance the likelihood of needing additional aligners. We have found that compliance with clear aligners has improved with patients that use dental monitoring and makes the patients more accountable for their own treatment. The ability to send messages through the app helps with documentation of treatment and patients feel a greater degree of care with their treatment. Overall, it is the authors opinion that DM is well worth the time and financial investment, both from a clinical efficiency, patient satisfaction and overall treatment accuracy. Please note: the society and the author of this review are not sponsored or financially rewarded for this review. The review expresses the opinion of the author alone. Readers are encouraged to do their own research prior to making any decisions about product purchases.