## 1 Introduction  
Medical advances have lowered mortality rates, and today, an estimated 1 in 11 people are 65 years of age or older, with a steady increase in the elderly population [1; 2; 3; 4]. As a result, the need for oral and dental care in older patients has increased [5]. The natural aging process can lead to oral pathologies in the elderly due to age-related involutional physiological changes. Additionally, systemic diseases and conditions can affect oral health, and vice versa, as evident in elderly patients who have a higher prevalence of both systemic and oral diseases due to the physiological effects of advancing age [5]. In this vulnerable population, age-related pathologies and functional impairments should be considered to ensure the effectiveness and safety of oral and dental care, especially in the elderly with psychomotor deficits [5]. Indeed, elderly individuals with depression or dementia may experience challenges in accessing dental care, particularly in a supine position. In addition, cognitive decline, disability, and various unhealthy lifestyles--especially smoking, but also improper oral hygiene habits and alcohol consumption--also influence oral, dental, and periodontal needs and the overall oral health of the geriatric population [6]. Oral health plays a fundamental role in achieving and maintaining general health, especially in the elderly [7]. The general health of older people results from several interdependent factors, such as physical performance, cognitive and affective state, and the person's social and self-image, as defined by the WHO [5]. Accordingly, geriatric dentistry may also take on a special social significance, as the health of elderly patients is affected by both biological and psychosocial problems, and oral and dental care provision should be adapted to the specific needs of elderly patients [1]. In this regard, teledentistry has been proposed for improving older patients' awareness and education concerning oral health maintenance and risk factor control. In addition, teledentistry may aid in preliminarily identifying patients' concerns, facilitating monitoring, and saving time and money [2]. Teledentistry provides the delivery of dental services, including consultations (telecommunation); assistance (teleassistance); diagnosis (telediagnosis); follow-ups and reassessments (telemonitoring); management (teletreatment); screening (telescreening); and education and motivation reinforcement by healthcare professionals, at a distance, through information technology [8; 9]. As the elderly population commonly experiences hearing and visual impairments and may not be familiar with the latest technologies, they may require assistance from family members or caregivers with data collection and transmission. This could potentially hinder the adoption of teledentistry, which has been proposed as a means of aiding dental care provision beyond hospitals, dental offices, and remote home treatment, particularly in nursing homes for the elderly [8] Despite these challenges, a growing body of research supports teledentistry's potential benefits in improving access to care and enhancing oral health outcomes [8]. Several studies have shown that telemedicine, remotely delivering medical care, enhances access to care--especially for underserved populations not only living in remote areas, but also with disabilities [10; 11; 12]--as well as facilitates timely healthcare services provision and supports the remote monitoring and assistance of older patients suffering from diabetes and heart diseases [13]; however, teledentistry applications in the elderly have received little investigation [8]. Consequently, in addition to specific ethical and legal regulations, teledentistry provision methods, effectiveness, reliability, indications (oral and dental needs), applications (dental services), and, above all, geriatric dental patients' attitudes and interest [8] remain to be determined.