Summary:
A French hospital centre has developed a method validated by previous research of oral diagnosis by telemedicine. The goal of the French hospital is to evaluate the extent to which this method improves access to dental care for patients with autism spectrum disorders. The French hospital is looking for technical cooperation agreements with hospitals and clinics.
Description:
People with disabilities have little or no access to dental care. This is a recognized public health issue. The access delays are of the order of 8 to 16 months in South West of France to consult an adapted health care process.
In this context, the French hospital has developed an innovative method of remote oral diagnosis which has been scientifically validated through a clinical trial carried out on dependent elderly people living in retirement homes.
In order to be able to validate this method to all subjects with special needs, with the aim of feasibility and efficiency, the hospital limits the approach to a single category of patients. The research focuses on subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Firstly, because the prevalence is very high and secondly because patients with ASD are considered the most difficult patients to deal with in the field of dental care.
The oral condition of this population is more degraded than that of ordinary people, and the need for care is more important due to :
- Difficulties in prevention and oral hygiene : brushing and unfavourable eating habits. Thus, they present a high individual caries risk (ICR) according to the criteria defined by the French Authority of Health (HAS - 2008).
- Difficulties in accessing dental examinations and care
These patients are victims of identified dental care deficiencies. There are not only barriers to care related to the patient himself but also barriers due to the lack of care available.
Thus, the French hospital has developed this innovative method using digital health technique to improve this problem of access to dental care for autistic patients.
The method relies on the diagnostic performance of an odontological examination by teletransmitted oral video endoscopy in comparison with a conventional chairside examination in subjects with autism.
This telemedicine method has been successfully implemented in retirement homes for the dental care of retirement homes’residents around the French hospital improving the supply of care and the management of elderly people.
Therefore, the French hospitals is looking for technical cooperation agreements with cross border partners like European hospitals or private clinics located in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain or Switzerland. The partners sought will have to be willing to use this telemedicine technology on autistic patients in order to contribute to further the development of the technology and to evaluate its performance. The partners need to have a dentistry department used to take care of autistic patients and staff like dentist surgeons and dental assistants trained in telemedicine.
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought:
The French hospital is looking for technical cooperation agreements with hospitals or private clinics.
The evaluation of the performance of this method requires, for the partners sought, the presence of one dental assistant which has training and experience with endoscope camera and two dental surgeons which have valuable experience of dental anaesthesia through treating patients with special needs.
The French hospital will provide the partners with all the necessary equipment, which includes fake cameras which will help the patients to accept the dental examination beforehand, one endoscope camera, one optical as well as a computer.
The partners will contribute to improve the technological aspects of the digital oral method and give an international dimension to the technology.
Stage of Development:
Already on the market
IPR Status:
Copyright
External code:
TOFR20211122002
