**6. Clinical training for diagnostic imaging utilizing medical ICT (second phase)**

#### **6.1 Purpose of educational development**

After previous research achievements, the foundation for clinical research using dentistry images was formed in Laos. We determined that the diagnostic imaging technique was shared between Japan and Laos, based on research achievements. As the second step, the educational system was developed to support the diagnostic imaging technique utilizing telemedicine for dentists in Laos.

The purposes of the medical ICT systems in the second phase were as follows.


#### **6.2 Utilized telemedicine system**

Medical ICT is known to be developed to the point where image data can be shared with mobile tablet terminals/smartphones that use data terminal devices.

Recently, many studies confirmed the effect of tablet terminals in medical education. The use of mobile tablet terminals has an impact on how medical residents approach medical education, clinical practice, and patient education [23, 24]. The educational tool may be useful in collecting data on mobile tablet terminals used by other graduate medical education programs.

In 2018, as a clinical training tool, therefore, we adopted new ICT system, using the mobile tablet (View Send ICT, Tokyo). This system allows dentists to receive image data from a university hospital on a mobile tablet terminal in Vientiane city. This system created an environment in which the dentist who requested the diagnosis could view the image data anywhere in the city (**Figure 6**).

#### **6.3 Project activities**

The workshop was held with the Laotian collaborators who participated in the first phase as the main members. The purpose of the workshop was to transfer the techniques of digital image reading and telemedicine operation for faculty members.

A total of 72 faculty members enrolled in the digital medical imaging class in the Faculty of Dentistry, UHS (hereinafter referred to as the Faculty of Dentistry). Following the lecture of radiology, a hands-on seminar on medical ICT was held (**Figure 7**). In the seminar, the digital panoramic images were sent and downloaded as teaching materials from the medical image database of the Faculty of Dentistry of the UHS to the tablet terminal (iPad*Ⓡ*), and the participants will be informed about the operative method of diagnostic imaging. Participants had the training of reading images using tablet terminal. Ten clinically experienced dentists were selected from the seminar participants. The dentist requests the dental radiology room of the Faculty of Dentistry to perform image examination by DPR or CBCT for the patient, *Empirical Study on Medical Information and Communication Technology System in Dentistry… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101080*

**Figure 6.** *Overview of the medical ICT system in phase 2.*

#### **Figure 7.**

*Medical ICT system using the tablet terminal. Left: Digital image data (A) are transferred through PC server (B) to the tablet terminal (C). Right: Workshop for dentists (teachers).*

and always shares the image data with the tablet terminal. The dentist explained regarding oral diseases to the patient with a tablet terminal. The demonstration experiment period was 90 days.
