95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Oral. Health
Sec. Oral Health Promotion
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1587630
This article is part of the Research Topic Use of Teledentistry and Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Dental Care for Vulnerable Populations View all articles
Monitoring Oral Health Remotely: Ethical Considerations When Using AI Among Vulnerable Populations
Provisionally accepted- 1 Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 2 Special Care Dentistry Unit, the Dental School, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Cordoba, Argentina
Technological innovations in dentistry are revolutionizing the monitoring and management of oral health. This perspective article critically examines the rapid expansion of remote monitoring technologies-including artificial intelligence (AI)-driven diagnostics, electronic health records (EHR), wearable devices, mobile health applications, and chatbots-and discusses their ethical, legal, and social implications. The accelerated adoption of these digital tools, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has enhanced accessibility to care while simultaneously raising significant concerns regarding patient consent, data privacy, and algorithmic biases. We review current applications ranging from AI-assisted detection of dental pathologies to blockchain-enabled data transfer within EHR systems, highlighting the potential for improved diagnostic accuracy and the risks associated with over-reliance on remote assessments. Furthermore, we underscore the challenges posed by the digital divide, where disparities in digital literacy and access may inadvertently exacerbate existing socio-economic and health inequalities. This article calls for the development and rigorous implementation of ethical frameworks and regulatory guidelines that ensure the reliability, transparency, and accountability of digital health innovations. By integrating multidisciplinary insights, our discussion aims to foster a balanced approach that maximizes the clinical benefits of emerging technologies while safeguarding patient autonomy and promoting equitable healthcare delivery.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, Special care dentistry, Digital Dentistry, Ethics, Oral health inequalities
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 McGrath, Chau and Molina. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gustavo Fabián Molina, Special Care Dentistry Unit, the Dental School, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Cordoba, Argentina
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.