Oral Health Literacy, Oral Hygiene
Conditions
Keywords
oral health literacy, oral hygiene, orthodontic patients, mobile oral health intervention, whatsapp, messages
Brief summary
Orthodontic patients face unique challenges in maintaining optimal oral hygiene due to the presence of fixed orthodontic appliances, which tend to increase plaque retention, leading to gingival inflammation. Oral Health Literacy (OHL) plays a role in an individual's ability to understand and implement oral hygiene instructions effectively. Mobile oral health interventions involve the use of mobile technology such as smartphones to improve oral hygiene practices and outcomes. Aim of the study: To assess the effectiveness of a mobile oral health intervention using WhatsApp messages as compared to standard oral hygiene instructions on oral hygiene status and OHL level among orthodontic patients.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMobile Oral Health Intervention
46 messages delivered over a 3-month period (12 weeks) via WhatsApp
Sponsors
Alexandria University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances in both arches for the first time. 2. Patients between the age of 16 and 25 years. 3. Participants must own a smartphone with WhatsApp installed. 4. Those who agree to be part of the research project and accept the informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
1. The presence of systemic diseases affecting oral health. 2. Patients with cleft lip and/or palate. 3. Functional and orthognathic patients. 4. Previous orthodontic treatment. 5. Patients with a removable appliance.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Health Literacy | Change from baseline to 1 month, 3 months, 6 months | oral health literacy as measured by the Oral Health Literacy - Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ). Scores of all questions answered by participants will be added to obtain the overall score of OHL ranging from 0 to 17. Scores are categorized into three groups: Inadequate (0-9), Borderline (10-11), and Adequate (12-17) OHL level |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Hygiene | Change from baseline to 1 month, 3 months, 6 months | assessed by the Silness-Löe Plaque Index (PI) to provide mean PI score for each tooth ranging from 0 to 3. |
Countries
Egypt
Contacts
Primary ContactNermine Balbaa, BDS
Outcome results
None listed