Asynchronous Teledentistry for Oral Lesion Screening: A Retrospective Study from TeleEstomato-MG
Caroline Miranda Pernambuco
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
Ana Luisa Alves
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
Davi Figueiredo Valadares
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
Livian Isabel de Medeiros Carvalho
Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB) – Paraíba (PB), Brasil.
João Adolfo Costa Hanemann
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
Edson Hilan Gomes de Lucena
Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB) – Paraíba (PB), Brasil.
Paulo Rogerio Ferreti Bonan
Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB) – Paraíba (PB), Brasil.
Livia Maris Ribeiro Paranaíba Dias
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
Leonardo Amaral dos Reis
*
Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG) – Alfenas (MG), Brasil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To describe the use of TeleEstomato-MG, an asynchronous teledentistry platform, for the screening and management of oral lesions in primary care.
Study Design: Retrospective observational study of asynchronous teleconsultations conducted at the Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil, from November 2022 to September 2024.
Methodology: Data from 263 teleconsultations were extracted from the TeleEstomato-MG platform and analyzed descriptively by lesion site and diagnostic category.
Results: Most patients were male (52.1%), with a mean age of 53 years. The tongue (27.4%) and lips (17.8%) were the most affected sites. Diagnostic hypotheses included benign lesions (75.6%), potentially malignant disorders (13.7%), and malignant lesions (10.7%). Early detection of malignant cases supported timely referral for specialized care. The analysis was constrained by missing data on risk factors and variable image quality.
Conclusion: TeleEstomato-MG proved feasible for triaging oral lesions and accelerating referrals, highlighting the role of asynchronous teledentistry in expanding access to specialized oral health services in primary care.
Keywords: Teledentistry, oral lesions, telehealth, remote diagnosis