## 4 Discussion  
There is an evident propensity in the literature to support the usefulness and reliability of teledentistry applications, but it must be considered that many of the studies examined provide only preliminary results and only report the reliability and reproducibility of the short-term use of these services. In addition, several studies have included the participation of family members, health professionals, and dentists whose skills, experience, and knowledge are inevitably different and heterogeneous. The literature review shows that teledentistry, especially in pediatric patient care, has several applications, such as telediagnosis, tele-education, telemonitoring, and teleconsultation [46]. Teledentistry has brought several advantages during the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting contacts and respecting the safety measures imposed by distancing. At the same time, it has prevented the exposure of dental staff and dentists thanks to the use of different tools, such as mobile phones, webcams, intraoral cameras, and dental applications [47]. Several studies have reported dentists' and patients' satisfaction in managing dental and/or orthodontic emergencies with the reduction of in-office appointments. These studies also reported dentists' and patients' satisfaction with the fact that dental monitoring did not affect treatment outcomes [48; 49]. Therefore, our objective was to review the literature regarding the use of teledentistry, the most widespread applications, and the most commonly used technologies to address the oral health needs of pediatric patients. The literature review revealed that teledentistry could be helpful in educating and promoting children's oral health, diagnosing and monitoring pediatric dental patients  
Figure 3: Classification of studies according to the digital methodology applied. Figure 2: Subdivision of the studies according to teledentistry applications. in remote areas with limited access to dental care, and serving as a behavioral guide for pediatric patients [22]. The present study found that among the technologies used, m-Health apps were widely used for behavioral education, oral health promotion, and reducing anxiety before an in-person appointment among pediatric patients [31; 32]. The smartphone and intraoral cameras were mainly used for diagnosing and monitoring young patients and for studies comparing the results of remote diagnosis with traditional clinical examination. Oral health education and promotion programs using mobile technologies, the internet, and mobile health applications have attracted public attention and reached a large population. Several authors believe that children are proficient in using digital technologies and use them more intensively than adults [27; 31]. Therefore, the use of internet- and mobile-based applications increases patient awareness and knowledge to promote oral hygiene, provides an effective communication tool for parents and the community in remote areas, and could address the shortage of qualified public health dental professionals specializing in the management of pediatric patients [36]. m-Health apps used for patient education should be based on accepted behavior change techniques and provide instructions on how to perform a task, include prompts, and reward the user for achieving the goal [37; 38]. According to the analyzed data, the most frequently used features in the m-Health app developed for children's oral health should include educational multimedia and game-based stories. Animation-based educational programs and picture books are mainly used to teach brushing and familiarize with the dental environment and procedures, as children are highly influenced by animations and pictures. In contrast, adult self-care applications are mostly focused on reminders, timers, sensors, online counseling, and SMS. In the study proposed by [PERSON] et al., adolescents reported that the game was entertaining and educational; it helped them learn new aspects of oral health and had the potential to change their oral health habits [16].