ArticleProgress in orthodontics2021
Orthodontic apps: an assessment of quality (using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)) and behaviour change techniques (BCTs).
Article in Progress in orthodontics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mobile Apps for Common Noncommunicable Disease Management: Systematic Search in App Stores and Evaluation Using the Mobile App Rating Scale.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- Utilization and familiarity of orthodontic mobile applications among orthodontists and trainees: a cross‑sectional survey with implications for Low‑ and Middle‑Income Countries (LMICs).BMC oral health · 2026Article
- The Effect of Using a Smartphone App on Oral Hygiene and Brushing Training During Fixed Orthodontic Therapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Quality and Privacy Policy Compliance of Mental Health Care Apps in China: Cross-Sectional Evaluation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Reproducibility and reliability of dental arch measurements: comparing of manual, digital, and app-based methods.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Expert Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Application for Systematic Caries Management in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry · 2024Article
- Mobile Apps for Vaccination Services: Content Analysis and Quality Assessment.Online journal of public health informatics · 2024Article
- Preferences and Satisfaction Toward an Orthodontic Clinical App.European journal of dentistry · 2023Article
- Orthodontic apps: An assessment of content accuracy and validity.Journal of orthodontics · 2023Article
- Mobile applications in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic: systematic search, use case mapping, and quality assessment using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS).BMC digital health · 2023Article
- Mental Health Mobile Apps in the French App Store: Assessment Study of Functionality and Quality.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
- Effect of electronic reminders on patients' compliance during clear aligner treatment: an interrupted time series study.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Artificial Intelligence in Orthodontic Smart Application for Treatment Coaching and Its Impact on Clinical Performance of Patients Monitored with AI-TeleHealth System.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Quality evaluation and functional classification of Arabic health apps: A systematic review.Digital healthReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundApps have been shown to be an effective tool in changing patients' behaviours in orthodontics and can be used to improve their compliance with treatment. The Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) and quality (using MARS) within these apps have previously not been published.
objectives1. To evaluate the quality of these apps aiming to change behaviour. 2. To assess BCTs used in patient focused orthodontic apps.
methodsThe UK Google Play and Apple App Stores were searched to identify all orthodontic apps and 305 apps were identified. All 305 apps were assessed for the presence of BCTs using an accepted taxonomy of BCTs (Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW)), widely utilised in healthcare. Of those containing BCTs, the quality was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), a validated and multi-dimensional tool which rates apps according to 19 objective criteria. Data collection was carried out by two calibrated, independent assessors and repeated after 6 weeks for 25% of the apps by both assessors.
resultsBCTs were found in 31 apps, although only 18 of them were analysed for quality and 13 apps were excluded. Six different BCTs were identified: these were most commonly 'prompts/cues', and 'information about health consequences'. All apps were shown to be of moderate quality (range 3.1-3.7/5). Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability for BCT and quality assessment were excellent.
conclusionsThe current availability of orthodontic apps of sufficient quality to recommend to patients is very limited. There is therefore a need for high-quality orthodontic apps with appropriate BCTs to be created, which may be utilised to improve patients' compliance with treatment.
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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.