Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31291683›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of dental hygiene2020

The effect of using a mobile application ("WhiteTeeth") on improving oral hygiene: A randomized controlled trial.

Janneke F M Scheerman, Berno van Meijel, Pepijn van Empelen, Gijsbert H W Verrips, Cor van Loveren, Jos W R Twisk, Amir H Pakpour, Matheus C T van den Braak, Gem J C Kramer

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of dental hygiene, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
56citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
19.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

56 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 110 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Exploring mobile applications for oral health promotion: a randomized clinical trial.Canadian journal of dental hygiene : CJDH = Journal canadien de l'hygiene dentaire : JCHD · 2026
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  11. EFFECT OF AN ORAL HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM ON GASTROPLASTY PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.Arquivos brasileiros de cirurgia digestiva : ABCD = Brazilian archives of digestive surgery · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Janneke F M ScheermanInholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8516-0112
Berno van MeijelInholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Pepijn van EmpelenTNO Research Group, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Gijsbert H W VerripsTNO Research Group, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Cor van LoverenAcademic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jos W R TwiskVU Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amir H PakpourSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Matheus C T van den BraakAcademic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gem J C KramerAcademic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam · NLNetherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research · NLAmsterdam Public Health · NLQazvin University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of the WhiteTeeth mobile app, a theory-based mobile health (mHealth) program for promoting oral hygiene in adolescent orthodontic patients.

methodsIn this parallel randomized controlled trial, the data of 132 adolescents were collected during three orthodontic check-ups: at baseline (T0), at 6-week follow-up (T1) and at 12-week follow-up (T2). The intervention group was given access to the WhiteTeeth app in addition to usual care (n = 67). The control group received usual care only (n = 65). The oral hygiene outcomes were the presence and the amount of dental plaque (Al-Anezi and Harradine plaque index), and the total number of sites with gingival bleeding (Bleeding on Marginal Probing Index). Oral health behaviour and its psychosocial factors were measured through a digital questionnaire. We performed linear mixed-model analyses to determine the intervention effects.

resultsAt 6-week follow-up, the intervention led to a significant decrease in gingival bleeding (B = -3.74; 95% CI -6.84 to -0.65) and an increase in the use of fluoride mouth rinse (B = 1.93; 95% CI 0.36 to 3.50). At 12-week follow-up, dental plaque accumulation (B = -11.32; 95% CI -20.57 to -2.07) and the number of sites covered with plaque (B = -6.77; 95% CI -11.67 to -1.87) had been reduced significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group.

conclusionsThe results show that adolescents with fixed orthodontic appliances can be helped to improve their oral hygiene when usual care is combined with a mobile app that provides oral health education and automatic coaching. Netherlands Trial Registry Identifier: NTR6206: 20 February 2017.

Indexed as

Dental PlaqueMobile ApplicationsAdolescentDental Plaque IndexHumansNetherlandsOral Hygienehealth behaviourhealth promotionmobile applicationsoral hygiene index and oral hygienetelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID31291683
PMCPMC7004072
OpenAlexW2959363796

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.