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Smartphone App Versus Verbal Motivation for Oral Hygiene in Fixed Orthodontic Patients
Sponsor: Atlas University
Summary
This study looked at whether a smartphone app can help patients with fixed braces keep their teeth cleaner than usual spoken advice alone. Fixed braces make plaque harder to remove, which can harm the teeth and gums, so good brushing habits matter. Fifty patients aged 14 to 22 were divided at random into two groups. One group used a purpose-made app ("iTeeth Orthodontics") that sent brushing reminders, timed brushing, and kept a brushing log. The other group received the usual spoken oral-hygiene motivation. Both groups used the same brushes, toothpaste, and rinse, and followed the same cleaning routine. Plaque was measured from photographs at 10 days and at 1, 2, and 3 months, using a computer to calculate how much of each tooth surface was covered by plaque. The two groups were then compared.
Official title: Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application Versus Conventional Verbal Motivation on Oral Hygiene in Patients Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
14 Years - 22 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
50
Start Date
2020-06-08
Completion Date
2021-05-18
Last Updated
2026-09-24
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Smartphone application for oral-hygiene motivation (iTeeth Orthodontics)
Purpose-built smartphone application supporting oral hygiene during fixed orthodontic treatment. It provides treatment information, customizable brushing reminders (push notifications), an adjustable brushing timer that prompts interdental-brush use and mouthrinse at the end of each session, and a daily/weekly/monthly brushing log, used alongside the standardized oral-hygiene regimen common to both groups.
Conventional verbal oral-hygiene motivation
Standard chairside verbal oral-hygiene motivation and instruction, delivered without the smartphone application, alongside the same oral-hygiene regimen and materials (toothbrush, interdental brush, toothpaste, mouthrinse; modified Bass brushing three times daily, nightly interdental cleaning, and mouthrinse) provided to both groups.
Locations (1)
Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics
Samsun, Turkey (Türkiye)