Middlesex College Adopts MouthWatch TeleDent for Classroom Instruction and Community Outreach

This is a nice way to start the week.  For the past 3 years or so I have been hoping to see that dentistry starts having a greater focus on remote data gathering.  Even before the 2020 shutdown from Covid-19, I had been in some skilled nursing facilities and was witness to an incredible need the ability for doctors to remotely evaluate dental problems.

As our healthcare system improves, we are seeing folks living longer and longer.  Unfortunately those folks often end up in skilled nursing facilities.  Now don't get me wrong, those facilities serve a very important purpose and they are doing the best they can.  However, due to demand and staffing shortages, those dedicated folks that staff those facilities are working hard and doing the best they can with limited time and limited staff.  Unfortunately due to the setup of the current system, dental care gets pushed down on the "hierarchy of healthcare needs".    Often there are greater needs, such as changing a soiled undergarment, that takes precedence over brushing a resident's teeth.

What the system needs is a way to get people into these facilities who can collect data and get that data to doctors who can make decisions or provide care to keep patients healthy and out of pain.  That's why I was really excited to see that Middlesex College is training their hygiene students on the TeleDent platform.  Being able to send hygienists into healthcare facilities with technology that allows for remote viewing of patients and coaching of professionals is a huge step in the right direction toward solving this problem.  Here is their press release:

Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey has incorporated TeleDent by MouthWatch in the curriculum of its dental hygiene program and is also using the dental telehealth platform during its community outreach programs.

Although the earliest examples of teledentistry were introduced more than 20 years ago, teaching it in dental hygiene schools is relatively new and forward-thinking. “We want to ensure our students are graduating knowing how to use the most up-to-date technology,” said Middlesex College’s Chair of Dental Hygiene, Michelle Roman, EdD, RDH. 

Middlesex College graduates about 30 students from its hygiene program each year. When they leave the college after two years with an Associate in Applied Science 

Degree in Dental Hygiene, they will now have eight hours of training specific to teledentistry; four hours of lectures and 4 hours of hands-on experience. 

Some Middlesex College hygiene students recently gained hands-on experience with TeleDent during an oral health screening program for children between 11-months and 5-years old that was conducted at Noah’s Ark Preschool in Highland Park, New Jersey. 

During this event, the hygiene students conducted oral screenings and took intraoral photos of 66 children. The screening notes and photos were then sent to a dentist working remotely for analysis and diagnosis. 

The dentist then developed a detailed referral including intraoral photos of decayed teeth that were shared with the child’s parent or guardian so they in turn could share with their dentist. “If the child did not have a dentist, which is often the case, one would be recommended to ensure that the child would receive treatment,” explained Roman.

According to MouthWatch CEO and Founder Brant Herman, “We’re very honored to be associated with this visionary dental hygiene program. Middlesex College dental hygiene students will be well prepared for the future of virtual care, which will include new career opportunities.”

To explore adding teledentistry to the curriculum of your dental or hygiene school, contact MouthWatch Professional Education Manager Jamie Collins at Jamie@MouthWatch.com.

 About MouthWatch, LLC:

Headquartered in Metuchen, New Jersey, MouthWatch, LLC is a leader in innovative teledentistry solutions, and intraoral imaging devices. The company is dedicated to improving oral health around the world through innovative software and products that improve communications, enhance understanding, and facilitate the delivery of dental care across multiple touchpoints within the healthcare system. For more information, visit www.MouthWatch.com.

About the Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Program:

Middlesex College offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene. The curriculum is rigorous and includes general education, science courses and dental hygiene courses. Students complete two years of academic study including clinical practice under the supervision of Middlesex College faculty in the college’s Dental Hygiene clinic and external clinical practice sites. Learn more at https://www.middlesexcc.edu/dental-hygiene/.