Smartphone App Impact on Oral Hygiene in Orthodontics

March 7, 2025 updated by: Seda Sağoğlu, Konya Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi

The Effect of Using a Smart Phone App on Oral Hygiene and Brushing Training During Fixed Orthodontic Therapy

This study aimed to compare changes in gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), and gingival bleeding index (GBI) values in fixed orthodontic patients. Participants were classified into two groups based on their oral hygiene: those using the Dentabuddy app for oral hygiene improvement and those receiving assistant-led toothbrushing training.

Will the use of the Dentabuddy application lead to differences in oral hygiene levels? Can adolescents effectively utilize the program? Participants will compare the effectiveness of the smartphone application with a group receiving traditional oral hygiene motivation.

Participants:

Will use the program according to the designated time intervals. Will attend their appointments regularly.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The Dentabuddy application is a free oral hygiene improvement tool available for download on the Google Play Store. This study will include 60 patients aged 12-18 years who have been undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment for at least six months. Patients will be classified into good, fair, and poor oral hygiene groups based on the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), assessed by the second researcher. Using the Research Randomizer website, participants will be randomly assigned to either the Dentabuddy group or the assistant-supported training group.

Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) values will be recorded at baseline, after one month, and after three months. These data will be compared between groups. Additionally, at the end of three months, participants will be asked to demonstrate the brushing technique they were taught using a bracketed model. Those meeting specific criteria will be classified as having successfully demonstrated the brushing technique.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

60

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

  • Turkey
    • Meram
      • Konya, Meram, Turkey, 42090
        • Necmettin Erbakan University

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Faculty of Dentistry

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • no missing teeth,
  • no systemic diseases or medications,
  • complete permanent dentition,
  • ability to maintain personal oral hygiene

Exclusion Criteria:

  • dental treatment affecting oral hygiene

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Dentabuddy Group with good oral hygiene
Individuals with good oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through the Dentabuddy application.
Behavioral: mobile application
In this study, unlike similar studies in the literature, participants were grouped based on their oral hygiene status.
Dentabuddy Group with fair oral hygiene
Individuals with fair oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through the Dentabuddy application.
Behavioral: mobile application
In this study, unlike similar studies in the literature, participants were grouped based on their oral hygiene status.
Dentabuddy Group with poor oral hygiene
Individuals with poor oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through the Dentabuddy application.
Behavioral: mobile application
In this study, unlike similar studies in the literature, participants were grouped based on their oral hygiene status.
Assistant based trainning with good oral hygiene Group
Individuals with good oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through traditional methods.
Behavioral: traditional oral hygiene motivation
The group demonstrating the brushing technique on a braces model
Assistant based trainning with fair oral hygiene Group
Individuals with fair oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through traditional methods.
Behavioral: traditional oral hygiene motivation
The group demonstrating the brushing technique on a braces model
Assistant based trainning with poor oral hygiene Group
Individuals with poor oral hygiene receiving oral hygiene education through traditional methods.
Behavioral: traditional oral hygiene motivation
The group demonstrating the brushing technique on a braces model

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Oral hygiene in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment
Time Frame: From August to November 2023

Participants whose oral hygiene scores are monitored through the use of the Dentabuddy application.

The Gingival Index (GI) and Plaque Index (PI) are assessed on four surfaces of each tooth (mesial, distal, buccal/labial, and lingual) using a scale from 0 to 3. The total score from all evaluated sites is summed and divided by the total number of teeth to obtain the mean GI and PI values. A reduction in values will indicate a positive outcome of the study.
From August to November 2023

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Konya Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Seda Sağoğlu, Research Assistant, Konya Necmettin Erbaka University Faculty of Dentistry

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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 (Actual)

August 3, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 3, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

November 3, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 6, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 6, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 7, 2025

Last Verified

March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2023/319

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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.

Clinical Trials on Oral Hygiene Education Methods

Clinical Trials on mobile application

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Dominican Republic

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe