TELEDENTISTRY APPLICATION DURING COVID -19 PANDEMIC IN SAUDI ARABIA: AN OVERVIEW

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global concern. This outbreak is a reminder of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which has spread rapidly in the Middle Eastern regions in 2012, with 871 deaths and a fatality rate of 39%. Coronavirus disease 2019 is also called COVID-19 or SARS-CoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The current COVID-19 was declared by the world health organization (WHO) as public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020. Teledentistry is a boon to the dental fraternity and to all those patients who need dental attention in the present-day situation. Teledentistry is an effective way to triage patients and to deliver emergency dental care. Therefore, it reduces the risk of nosocomial and communicable spread of the virus caused due to person to person contact in dental offices. This article gives an overview of Teledentistry's applications, scope, and significance in the current COVID-19 crisis.