I’m Dr. Hiroshi Miyashita, Director of Tokyo International Dental Roppongi.

In our daily clinical practice, we protect our patients’ teeth using the latest microscopes, CT scans, and the precision of Nordic diagnostics. However, looking at the world, there are many children who cannot receive even basic dental care due to geographical constraints and social inequalities.

In this article, I will explain how technology can bridge the “medical gap” and protect children’s “right to health,” based on the introduction of “Teledentistry” in Canadian Indigenous communities, through five innovative insights from a specialist’s perspective.

Bringing a Dentist 90km Away to the “Next Door”: The Impact and Future of Teledentistry for Indigenous Children

1. Introduction: The Barrier of Access and “Health Sovereignty”

The Mushkegowuk Cree people live along the coasts of Western James Bay and Hudson Bay in Northern Ontario. The children in this beautiful land suffer from a high prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC). The nearest dentist is over 90km away. For treatment, families must travel by plane, often resulting in invasive surgery under general anesthesia (GA).

This is not merely an issue of inconvenience; it is a humanitarian crisis. To protect the right to “the highest attainable standard of health” as stated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they have championed “Health Sovereignty,” choosing Teledentistry as a powerful strategic tool.

2. Insight 1: Liberating Nurses from Solitary Decision-Making

In areas without a resident dentist, nurses and paramedics are the first point of contact. However, they are not dental specialists. Until now, the practice was unstable, with nurses taking photos of the affected areas with their personal smartphones and consulting dentists on an ad-hoc basis.

The psychological burden of having to “act as if they were the dentist” is immense. Teledentistry enables real-time collaboration with specialists through digital tools. It builds a system where nurses can perform triage with confidence and make appropriate referrals.

3. Insight 2: Drastic Improvement of the “Fly-in Economy” and Cost Reduction

The biggest factor behind the medical gap is the enormous cost of travel. The current system, where a parent and child must fly just for a “pre-screening” to determine if GA is necessary, is inefficient both economically and in terms of the burden on the family.

Remote diagnosis via intraoral cameras drastically reduces unnecessary travel. The estimate that “preventing just three inappropriate GA referrals can recover the cost of implementing the entire teledentistry system” shows that this is an extremely rational investment to concentrate limited medical resources on truly urgent cases.

4. Insight 3: “Knowledge Circulation” and Education Beyond Diagnosis

The true value of teledentistry goes beyond simple remote diagnosis. Continuous communication with dentists via the platform serves as “live clinical education” for local healthcare providers.

Distinguishing symptoms (dental vs. non-dental), making accurate decisions on antibiotic use, and sharing professional terminology—all of these improve the “decision-making capacity” of the entire community, significantly increasing the accuracy of primary care even when a dentist is absent.

5. Insight 4: Digital “Humanization” of Relationships: Reducing Dental Anxiety

Technology is often seen as cold, but teledentistry actually plays a role in deepening the relationship of trust between the patient and the dentist.

Through video calls, children can see the face of the dentist who will perform the surgery and see the hospital environment beforehand. This “virtual encounter” functions as “Desensitization” to remove fear. The digital screen becomes a bridge for building trust rather than a barrier.

6. Insight 5: Overcoming Barriers to Implementation

Of course, challenges exist:

  • Infrastructure limits: Data communication in areas with restricted internet bandwidth.
  • Generational barriers: Psychological resistance from “seasoned colleagues” accustomed to traditional methods.

To break through these walls, it is essential to provide not just hardware, but systematic training and “sustainable investment” by the entire health system.

7. Conclusion: Every Child Has the Right to a “Healthy Smile”

Teledentistry is more than just a tool for convenience. It is an “exercise of rights” to rectify the gap in oral health and break the inequality of physical distance.

Although we practice in the urban center of Roppongi, our mission remains the same: to deliver high-quality, evidence-based medicine to everyone who needs it. By correctly utilizing technology and transforming our mindset, I am convinced that we can deliver the best gift—a “healthy smile”—to the next generation of children.

 

Reference

Arshat, N. (2024). Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on the Use of Teledentistry in Supporting Oral Healthcare of First Nations Children in Northern Ontario (Master’s thesis, University of Toronto (Canada)).

 

Make an appointment for consultation today.

Tokyo International Dental Clinic Roppongi

Here is the MAP 

  • Address: 5-13-25-2nd Floor, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
  • Phone: 03-5544-8544
  • Closest Stations: 
  • Azabu Juban (Toei Oedo Line take exit7）
  • https://youtu.be/iIeG91YEJTA 　The way to the clinic from Ohedo Line Exit7
  • Azabu Juban (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line exit 5a )
  • https://youtu.be/3yniFSfucGg　The way to the clinic from Namboku Line Exit 5a 
  • Roppongi (Hibiya Line exit 3)

We look forward to helping you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile!

 

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