The Role of Health Informatics in Enhancing Dental Care Delivery and Patient Outcomes

Abstract

Dental informatics, sometimes referred to as dental computing or dental information science, is a multidisciplinary field that includes data science, information technology, and dental communication systems. It entails creating, putting into practice, and assessing digital tools and technology to enhance the administration, analysis, and application of dental data for patient care, research, and teaching1.  Because of the expanding accessibility of electronic health records (EHRs), the pervasiveness of digital imaging and other diagnostic tools, and the growing interest in telehealth and mobile health applications, dental informatics has accelerated significantly in recent years. These developments hold great promise for boosting patient care and increasing oral health outcomes, and they have completely changed the field of dentistry practice, research, and education.