We examined the feasibility of distance diagnosis of oral diseases, using transmission of digital images by email. Twenty-five cases of oral lesions were documented during a 12-month study in a primary care public health clinic in Paraná in Southern Brazil. Clinical electronic charts and images were produced and sent by email to two oral medicine specialists with a median of 10 years experience in the field. The consultants provided a maximum of two clinical hypotheses for each case. In 15 of the 25 cases (60%) both consultants made a correct diagnosis; in seven cases (28%) only one consultant made a correct diagnosis; and in three cases (12%) neither consultant made a correct diagnosis. Thus in 88% of cases, at least one consultant was able to provide the correct diagnosis. The results suggest that distant diagnosis can be an effective alternative in the diagnosis of oral lesions and that the using two distant consultants improves diagnostic accuracy. Primary care public health clinics may benefit from the use of email and digital cameras for telehealth in remote areas where oral medicine specialists are not available.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of telediagnosis in oral medicine, through the transmission of clinical digital images by e-mail. Subjects and Methods: The sample included 60 consecutive patients who sought oral medicine services at the Federal University of Parana´, in the state of Parana´, located in southern Brazil. The clinical history and oral lesion images were recorded using clinical electronic charts and a digital camera, respectively, and sent by e-mail to two oral medicine consultants. The consultants provided a maximum of two clinical hypotheses for each case, which were compared with biopsy results that served as the gold standard. Results: In 31 of the 60 cases (51.7%), both consultants made the correct diagnosis; in 17 cases (28.3%), only one consultant made the correct diagnosis; and in 12 cases (20%), neither consultant made the correct diagnosis. Therefore, in 80% of cases, at least one consultant provided the correct diagnosis. The agreement between the first consultant and the gold standard was substantial (j = 0.669), and the agreement between the second consultant and the gold standard was fair (j = 0.574). Conclusions: The use of information technology can increase the accuracy of consultations in oral medicine. As expected, the participation of two remote experts increased the possibility of correct diagnosis.

Tendo em vista que muitos cirurgiões-dentistas, inadvertidamente ou de forma proposital, no segundo caso visando à redução de gastos, fazem uso de resinas compostas com prazos de validade vencidos, elaborou-se esta análise com o objetivo de observar o desempenho clínico do material em questão. Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo avaliar a polimerização das resinas compostas com prazo de validade extrapolado utilizando-se o corante Astra Blue, que tem por finalidade destacar a resina não-polimerizada, uma vez que possui afinidade pelos radicais livres encontrados nessas moléculas. As resinas vencidas, de marcas comerciais conhecidas, foram acondicionadas em orifícios circulares presentes em placas de diferentes espessuras, milimetradas de forma padronizada; as mesmas resinas foram então polimerizadas com um aparelho fotopolimerizador calibrado para uma exposição de 40 segundos, de forma a padronizar os resultados, anotando-se, então, as discrepâncias observadas. Este trabalho espera orientar os profissionais quanto à possibilidade real ou não de resinas compostas vencidas serem utilizadas na prática clínica, além de estabelecer a partir de quanto tempo depois de vencidas elas perdem sua capacidade de polimerização.

Este estudo objetivou avaliar a aplicabilidade do telediagnóstico na Estomatologia, através do envio de dados e imagens clínicas de lesões bucais, via correio eletrônico, para