Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39901115›Full record

ArticleBMC oral health2025

Does the transition from face-to-face to face-to-screen improve oral health literacy? A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial.

Negar Ebrahimi, Katayoun Sargeran, Reza Yazdani, Ahmad Reza Shamshiri

Abstract readEquivalence Trial
In one paragraph

Article in BMC oral health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Negar EbrahimiDental Implant Research Centre, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Katayoun SargeranResearch Centre for Caries Prevention, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. k-sargeran@tums.ac.ir.
Reza YazdaniResearch Centre for Caries Prevention, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ahmad Reza ShamshiriDepartment of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, North Karegar St, Tehran, 1439955991, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn recent years, more attention has been paid to virtual education methods in the field of oral health. Oral health literacy (OHL) plays a major role in reducing oral health inequalities. Individuals with inadequate health literacy are more susceptible to oral disorders. This study was a parallel randomized controlled trial with a non-inferiority design that aimed to compare a virtual educational intervention with traditional in-person education to improve OHL.

methodsThis study was conducted in adults visiting a university dental school, from February 2022 to May 2023. After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were checked and informed consent was obtained, the participants were randomly allocated into two groups by balanced block randomization. One group received in-person education in the waiting room, and the other received an educational video through an online messenger. The Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) assessed participants' OHL levels before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention. The researchers who analysed the data were blinded. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis was used to compare the groups (P < 0.05). The non-inferiority margin was determined using the fixed-margin method.

resultsIn total, 149 individuals participated. Seventy-five patients were randomly allocated to the in-person group, and 74 were allocated to the virtual group; their data were analysed. GEE analysis revealed no significant difference in the change of OHL scores immediately after the intervention between the two groups (P = 0.07). However, at the three-month follow-up, the in-person group exhibited a significantly greater improvement in OHL scores compared to the virtual group (P = 0.03). After three months, virtual education was inferior to in-person education, unlike in the immediate post-test.

conclusionAfter three months, an online video sent in a messenger environment was less effective than traditional in-person education in improving OHL.

trial registrationThe trial protocol was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) on 08-02-2022, (IRCT20220106053643N1|| http://www.irct.ir/ ).

Indexed as

Health Education, DentalHealth LiteracyOral HealthAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesDental health educationDistance educationHealth literacyOral health

Identifiers

PMID39901115
PMCPMC11789400

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.