## 4 Discussion
[PERSON] et al. concluded that this method can reduce anxiety about dental treatment and improve patients' behavior during subsequent face-to-face visits [31]. Following these findings, [PERSON] et al. reported that the use of social media for social, emotional, or experiential support in chronic disease, particularly through Facebook and blogs, appeared to improve patient care [2]. Another application of teledentistry studied by several authors is the ability to diagnose and monitor using digital devices, such as smartphones, digital cameras, intraoral cameras, webcams, and computer monitors [21; 40]. Remote diagnosis involves the use of images of the patient to diagnose and monitor any oral pathology. Through this approach, it is possible to prioritize patients in need of urgent treatment through remote diagnosis, while ensuring access to pediatric dentistry specialists, who in many cases are difficult to find in the region, thus eliminating the need for the patient to travel to a specialized dental consultation, especially for individuals who have difficulty accessing medical treatment due to geographic or socioeconomic reasons [33; 45; 50]. From the physician's perspective, the advantage is that he or she can share the captured images with other specialists, which allows the general dentist and/or the specialist dentist to develop an appropriate multidisciplinary treatment plan. This telehealth network approach allows doctors with different expertise to be digitally connected to discuss diagnoses and multidisciplinary treatment plans that lead to the resolution of the most complex clinical cases. [PERSON] et al. reported that this method was reliable in diagnosing large carious lesions but less effective in diagnosing initial carious lesions [33]. [PERSON] et al. also reported that remote diagnosis was comparable to conventional in-person examination [30]. [PERSON] et al. showed that remote diagnosis was as effective as conventional on-site examination in early caries detection in young children [15]. [PERSON] et al. performed a study testing the efficacy of teleodontology for caries screening in preschool children at high risk for early childhood caries, and the authorsconcluded that teledentistry was shown to be effective in screening for various lesions [22]. According to these results, [PERSON] et al. reported that remote diagnosis of oral problems in pediatric patients through photographs was a valuable resource [17]. [PERSON] et al. in another study, argued that an intraoral camera was a viable and potentially cost-effective alternative to visual oral examination for caries screening in preschool children attending childcare centers [19]. Among the most analyzed aspects is orthodontic telemonitoring. The Italian Society of Orthodontics (SIDO) during the COVID-19 pandemic published the recommended guidelines for the management of orthodontic patients. In these guidelines, a first approach was recommended through virtual assistance by photographic documentation or a video call with digital support, in order to be able to distinguish through a triage the cases in which a face-to-face visit was necessary from those situations that could be managed remotely according with the restrictions of the pandemic [50]. For these reasons, several authors suggested that orthodontic emergencies should be addressed with a gradual approach [48]. It should be emphasized that orthodontic emergencies are unpredictable problems caused by mostly orthodontic appliances causing pain or discomfort, requiring urgent dental care [49]. Compared with other dental problems, orthodontic problems are less severe and often do not require in-office treatment. Many of these problems can be easily solved at home, which reduces stress for patients' families and saves time for both patients and dentists.