The electronic window to the world

Computer networking is a fundamental change in communication technology that carries with it the same significance as the development of human language. The discovery of new tools adds to the human experience, but the ability to communicate and share that knowledge and wisdom results in a factorial increase in the collective wisdom of a global community. This paper presents a brief history and overview of the Internet and then discusses how network application tools can be used in dentistry. Examples of various implementations will be given and a brief discussion of some constraints to implementation of network technology is also included.