Effectiveness of Smart Phone Application in Improving Oral Health Behaviours of Adolescents

NCT04307771 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 3539
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 152
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study would be a first step towards mobile-health associated Sustainable Development Goals by World Health Organization, as there are no mobile-health driven oral health activities in Karachi, Pakistan. Concurrently, it will help in improving knowledge and practices of adolescents towards general dental hygiene as this age is crucial for the prognosis of newly erupted permanent teeth. This would help in preventing chronic problems of adulthood. This will also help in reducing the number of days missed from school, increasing self-confidence of individuals as bad breath has a negative impact on one's self-esteem and confidence, giving a positive sense of aesthetics and will also keep in check over-all body health.Persistent unmaintained dental hygiene also overburdens families due to its high-maintenance outcomes like caries and early tooth loss. Dental treatment is considered as fourth most expensive treatment in developing countries . According to recent studies, households of low and middle income countries are at a higher risk of falling below the poverty line due to expenditure on dental problems. Such a simple intervention making use of modern-day technology would enable adolescents to keep their oral health in check and would prevent them from facing consequences of poor oral health.

Conditions

Oral Hygiene

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Knowledge scores

  Knowledge scores will be assessed by a self-administered questionnaire with maximum score of 30 and minimum of 0. Higher scores mean better knowledge.

  6 weeks

• Practice scores

  reduction in plaque index scores. score range 0-6. score 0 being the best and score 6 being the worst. Gingival index scores ranging from 0-6, score ) lesser (0) being the best and 6 being the worst.

  6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

m-health application

EXPERIMENTAL

a mobile app designed to send reminders for brushing and give information on maintaining oral health

Behavioral: m-Health application

Leaflet

OTHER

This is the control arm. An educational leaflet for maintaining oral hygiene will be given to participants in this arm

Behavioral: m-Health application

Interventions

m-Health application BEHAVIORAL

Dental Buddy is a mobile application that has been designed to improve oral hygiene maintenance behaviours in teenagers

Also known as: Dental Buddy

Leaflet; m-health application

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adolescent of age between 14-19 years
• Having access to an android device at home; either personal or parents'
• Would be able to use the app twice every day- Having access to Wi-Fi at home- for downloading the app.
• Willing to give consent
• participate in the study till the follow-up period.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Having mixed dentition
• Undergoing orthodontic treatment
• Should have no serious existing gingival or dental problems\* that could hinder calculation of plaque or gingival scores
• Should have no serious existing gingival or dental problems\* that could hinder routine brushing.
• Taking medications that have effect on gingival/dental health
• Having intrinsic or extrinsic enamel defects/ tooth malformations
• Having more than 1/3rd of the tooth stained due to areca nut chewing, smokeless tobacco (gutkha) chewing or cigarette smoking.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aga Khan University: lead

Study Officials

• Shafquat Rozi, Dr

  Aga Khan University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Javeria Nafis, Dr

CONTACT

923333914773; jojinafees@hotmail.com

Saad Shoeb, Dr

CONTACT

923362187080; saadshoeb92@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Post Graduate Student, Department of Community Health Sciences, Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2020
• First Posted: March 13, 2020
• Study Start: February 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2021
• Study Completion: April 30, 2021
• Last Updated: September 18, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share