A critical discussion of the benefits of e-health in population-level dental research
Raymond Lam A B , Estie Kruger A and Marc Tennant AA Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: rlraymondlam@gmail.com
Australian Journal of Primary Health 19(4) 303-307 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY13020
Submitted: 19 February 2013 Accepted: 5 August 2013 Published: 2 September 2013
Abstract
Population-level research is an essential area of health with the potential to affect quality of life and the broader economy. There are excellent epidemiological studies that have improved health services, but traditional research requires a considerable investment. Although electronic technology has changed the practice of many industries with improved efficiency, its application to health is relatively new. Termed ‘e-health’, this emerging area has been defined by the World Health Organization as the use of information technology to support many aspects of health such as in administration and scientific information. However, not all professionals are convinced of its use. This paper presents a novel application of this emerging area to describe the benefit in data collation and research to support one of the most pressing issues in public health: oral health and policy. Using the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme as an example, a critical discussion of its benefit to population-level research is presented. The Chronic Disease Dental Scheme method of electronic administration has been shown to enhance research and to complement existing progress in health data linkage. e-Health is an invaluable tool for population-level dental research.
Additional keywords: Chronic Disease Dental Scheme, dental public health, e-research.
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