A pilot study for smart dental hygiene (the Smart toothbrush) in aged care facilities

The study has two stages. Stage 1 seeks to familiarise staff and residents with the use of a Smart toothbrush (SmartBrush). In this stage, the Smartbrush will be used as an electric toothbrush. Stage 2, is the actual trial, it will use all the features of a Smartbrush (i.e., Toothbrush and App), to investigate the acceptability of an Smartbrush linked to an IT application that tracks the brush time, pressure and places cleaned in mouth. In this way the project investigates the use and acceptability of both an Smartbrush and an IT application that seeks to support improved oral hygiene Stage 1. • Participants will attend a screening visit including an oral examination by an oral health professional from Monash Health Dental Service. This examination will determine the health and cleanliness of participants’ teeth and mouth at baseline, by recording on the dental chart the extent of plaque and the extent of gum bleeding. • At the first appointment, participants will be provided with oral hygiene instructions (e.g., demonstration by oral health professional), including how to properly brush their teeth with a Smart toothbrush, which will be given to them. The approximate duration of the first appointment will be about 30 minutes. • On entry to the study, a complete dental clean will be conducted • Participants will be asked to maintain regular oral hygiene throughout the study using the Smart toothbrush (e.g., brush for 2 minutes at least once a day). • At the end of this familiarization stage, participants will be asked to have a one-to-one conversation with a research team member so they can discuss any difficulties participants may be experiencing with the use of the Smart toothbrush and offer possible solutions. The main reason for this stage is that, before starting the actual trial, we need to be sure that the participants are using the Smart toothbrush properly. Stage 2, • Participants will be provided with a tablet screen displayed to help them count down the time they spent brushing, and guide where to brush in their mouth so all their teeth are cleaned. • Participants will be asked to maintain regular oral hygiene, including brushing in the morning and at night, for the duration of the 4-week study using the Smart toothbrush (e.g., brush for 2 minutes). • At the end of Stage 2, participants will be invited to another one-to-one 30 min structured interview with a research team member so they can tell them what was good or bad about the brush and if they think it is useful to help you clean their teeth, and to understand if the display with the timer and brush position guide was helpful. • Participants will be asked to maintain regular oral hygiene throughout the study using the Smartbrush. • A last visit will be arranged when another full oral examination will be carried out and the cleanliness of their teeth and mouth will be recorded again. * To assess or monitor adherence to the Smart toothbrushing brush data analytics will be used.