Grant: Project Grant

Many people in Canada still face barriers when trying to get dental care. This is especially true for people who are homebound, living with disabilities, or residing in rural and remote communities. Although the Canadian Dental Care Plan helps to reduce the cost of oral healthcare, other challenges remain. Long wait times, transportation difficulties, and shortages of dental professionals continue to prevent many people from receiving timely treatment. Teledentistry allows dental care to be provided remotely using tools such as video calls, photographs, telephone, and secure messaging. It can support screening, consultations, follow-up care, and patient education without always requiring an in-person visit. This approach has the potential to make dental care more accessible and convenient. However, its use is not consistent across Canada, and many dental professionals lack clear, practical guidance on how to use it safely and effectively. In this study, our research team will work closely with patients, caregivers, dental professionals, and health system partners from across Canada to develop practical tools and recommendations for using teledentistry. We will then test these tools in four regions to understand how well they work in real-life settings, how comfortable people feel using them, and what factors help or prevent their adoption. The findings will help improve access to dental care, especially for underserved communities. The final tools and recommendations will be shared in both English and French with dental professionals, educators, regulators and patients.