Teledentistry in dental specialist education in Finland

Specialist dental services are available unevenly in Finland. A project to implement information and communication technologies in dental specialist education started in 2002 and was concluded in 2005. University lectures were transmitted to various training locations using IP-based videoconferencin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of telemedicine and telecare 2006-11, Vol.12 (3_suppl), p.46-49
Main Authors: Ignatius, Eino, Mäkelä, Kari, Happonen, Risto-Pekka, Perälä, Sami
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Telemedicine
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Summary:Specialist dental services are available unevenly in Finland. A project to implement information and communication technologies in dental specialist education started in 2002 and was concluded in 2005. University lectures were transmitted to various training locations using IP-based videoconferencing (384 kbit/s–1 Mbit/s). Lectures and seminars were carried out on average twice a week. 17 of the 26 postgraduate students answered a questionnaire in which they rated the quality of picture and sound on a 4–point scale. The overall rating of videoconferencing as a tool in specialist training was excellent in 15%, good in 62%, neutral in 15% and poor in 8%. In the absence of teledentistry, the trainees needed to travel to the University of Turku approximately 80 times each year. Over a three year training period (one year in university, two years in other cities), the overall potential cost saving per student was estimated to be at least €43,600.
ISSN:1357-633X
1758-1109
DOI:10.1258/135763306779379996