The power of the Internet comes from the fact that it connects people. There are currently 147 million users online in the United States, and 332 million Internet users worldwide. The incredible growth of the Internet over the last few years has created opportunities for rapid access to, and exchange of, an incredible amount of health information. Oral and dental health information is now readily available to dentists, patients, and the general public. In fact, medical patients are now beginning to store their own health information on Web servers.
Computers are now an important part of many dental practices.
Only 5 percent of dentists use the internet in patient treatment rooms, however. Teledentistry is the delivery of dental care, and the sharing of dental information over a distance, using telecommunications systems. Teledentistry can improve access to dental care, lower its cost, and provide an avenue for the continuing education of dentists. It also has the potential to replace costly, traditional, dental consultations in remote areas. Two technological developments in the early 1990s have led to a surging interest in teledentistry.