Incentives for Daily Tooth Brushing to Reduce Gingivitis

April 4, 2018 updated by: University of Pennsylvania
In this randomized controlled study, the investigators compare two classes of behavioral approaches to change habits and health outcomes with an application to dental health: cognitive vs. behavioral financial incentives. Under cognitive incentives subjects are paid to correctly answer health-related quizzes. Under behavioral incentives subjects earn money for making healthy choices. The investigators apply these incentives to toothbrushing, a daily health-related behavior critical to the prevention of dental caries and periodontal disease, two high-burden conditions among US adults.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

152

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male or female older than 18 years, with at least 10 teeth present.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy, uncontrolled diabetes, systemic antibiotics taken within the previous 2 months, need for referral for periodontal treatment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
36 Participants will be sent a new toothbrush and will be asked to use it in place of their current brush. They also receive twice daily reminders via sms to brush their teeth.
Experimental: Financial Incentives
36 Participants will receive a toothbrush and twice daily reminders to brush their teeth. They will also be offered financial incentives twice a day to brush their teeth.
Behavioral: Financial Incentives
Experimental: Cognitive Incentives
36 Participants will receive a toothbrush and twice daily reminders to brush their teeth. Twice a week, they will receive text messages (SMS) with a short quiz question related to oral hygiene behavior and oral health. Participants will receive a reward if they answer correctly via text message.
Behavioral: Cognitive Incentives
Experimental: Financial and Cognitive Incentives
36 Participants will receive a toothbrush and twice daily reminders to brush their teeth. Twice daily they receive financial incentives to brush their teeth. Twice a week, they will receive text messages (SMS) with a short quiz question related to oral hygiene behavior and oral health. Participants will receive a reward if they answer correctly via text message.
Behavioral: Financial and Cognitive Incentives

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Follow-up Gingival Index
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Frequency and duration of toothbrushing
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
End of treatment Gingival Index
Time Frame: 3 months
Gingival Index at the end of behavioral incentives
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 14, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 3, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 6, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

June 10, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 5, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 4, 2018

Last Verified

April 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 819853

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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