Prevention of oral cancer through the implementation of a teledentistry platform for the elderly.

Abstract

Objective: To contribute to early diagnosis of lesions in older patients, including potentially malignant lesions or those suspected of oral cancer by support of a web-based teledentistry platform. Material and Methods: This report contains information from 27 patients with oral lesions out of a total of 135 who received mobile dental care. Specialists who participated in the study involved professionals from the disciplines of periodontics, temporomandibular disorders, oral implantology, oral radiology, oral pathology and geriatrics. Referral consultations were carried out synchronously or asynchronously. Clinical information sent to oral pathology specialists involved a medical history and a traditional description of the lesion which considered size, color, limits, symptomatology, type of surface, consistency, location, and evolution. This information was complemented with a three-dimensional representation of the lesion, simulating an extra/intra oral clinical examination including a marker tool that allows to perform the anatomical-referencing of oral lesions. Results: 27 consultations from 26 patients were evaluated for oral pathology lesions. 12 lesions were diagnosed as reactive, 5 were infectious lesions, 4 of vascular etiology, 3 pigmented lesions (amalgam tattoo and smoking-related melanosis) and 3 potentially malignant lesions. The most frequent location was the tongue with 8 cases, followed by the gingiva and jugal mucosa, each with 5 cases. Four lesions required biopsy and histopathological report. Conclusion: A teledentistry platform including digital representations of oral lesions using different digital markers, also associated with a mobile system to provide dental care, constitutes an excellent tool to treat patients that present oral lesions with potential cancer risk.