Teledentistry is a combination of telecommunications and dentistry involving the exchange of clinical information and images over remote distances for dental consultation and treatment planning. Teledentistry can improve access to oral health care, improve the delivery of oral healthcare, and lower its costs. It also has the potential to eliminate the disparities in oral healthcare between rural and urban communities. Teledentistry may turn out to be the cheapest, as well as the fastest, way to bridge the rural-urban health divide. Considering the significant strides in the field of information and communication technology, teledentistry can help to bring specialized healthcare to the remotest corners of the world and is already being utilized across the globe.

Concerns about the confidentiality of dental information arise from the transfer of medical histories and records as well as from general security issues of electronic information stored in computers. Patients need to be aware that their information is to be transmitted electronically and the possibility exists that the information will be intercepted, despite maximum efforts to maintain security. Concerns also may arise about the proper method of informing patients of the potential transmission of their data. Informed consent in teledentistry should cover everything that exists in a standard, traditional consent form. The patient should be informed of the inherent risk of improper diagnosis and/or treatment due to the failure of the technology involved. Cost of telecommunication equipment has also been a matter of concern. Another important aspect that requires attention is the payment of the healthcare professionals who provide teleconsultation.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together dental medicine and technology and provide readers with insight on techniques, regulations, and applications. As teledentistry allows practicing dentists to gather patient information remotely by means of video and audio-based technology, it is an asset, but it does need to be regulated. As such, this Special Issue will highlight the continued growth of teledentistry, supporting applications and developing technologies. Papers submitted to this issue could discuss research, reviews, applications, and challenges related to the topic. We welcome both original research and review articles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Teledentistry supporting technologies
• Mobile service platforms for continuity of oral healthcare
• Complexity of teledentistry systems
• Network/data privacy and security in oral/dental healthcare
• Computing issues in supporting oral healthcare
• Multimedia and teledentistry
• Wireless teledentistry applications
• Interactive audiovisual and data communication during virtual consultations
• Teledentistry devices and peripherals
• Tools and platforms for teledentistry
• Legal and ethical issues in teledentistry
• Quality of care provided with the help of teledentistry
• Computing and communications of biomedical sensor networks
• Patient views on teledentistry
• Remote dental care delivery, diagnosis, consultation, and treatment
• Virtual dental education
• Virtual monitoring for patients
• Future scope, changing trends, and challenges in remote oral healthcare