Cost Identification Analysis of Telehealth versus In-Person Appointments with Orofacial Pain Patients at the University of Washington

Abstract

Oral medicine is a broad discipline within dentistry that focuses on diagnosing and managing complex oral and orofacial disorders in the craniofacial region. The specialty fills an important niche between medicine and dentistry, and specialists in the field are generally concentrated within metropolitan areas at hospitals and academic centers. Localization of providers in metropolitan areas may limit access to in-person specialty care related to geographic, socio-economic, and other barriers. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare developed creative solutions to ensure continuity of access to care, including increased use of telehealth. Oral Medicine Clinical Services (OMCS) at the University of Washington School of Dentistry implemented telehealth in April of 2020, after declaration of a public health emergency, to ensure continuity of care after gubernatorial mandates limited the provision of traditional in-person care in Washington state.