Trial reportBMC oral health2025
Effectiveness of mobile oral health intervention on orthodontic patients' oral hygiene and oral health literacy: a randomised controlled clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC oral health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06734325 (Effectiveness of Mobile Oral Health Intervention on Oral Hygiene and Oral Health Literacy Among Orthodontic Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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.
Effectiveness of Mobile Oral Health Intervention on Oral Hygiene and Oral Health Literacy Among Orthodontic Patients: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial)
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Time-dependent metabolic effects of portion-control plate interventions in adults with chronic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC primary care · 2026Pooled it
- Enhancing patient knowledge and behaviour through digital health communication: a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of mobile, web-based, social media, telehealth, and AI-enabled interventions.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Association of health-promoting behaviors with oral health status among Turkish dental students: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFixed orthodontic appliances pose challenges to maintaining oral hygiene by increasing plaque retention, leading to gingival inflammation. Oral Health Literacy (OHL) is essential for understanding and implementing oral hygiene instructions effectively. Mobile oral health interventions, including smartphone-based programmes, have recently emerged as promising tools to improve oral hygiene behaviours and outcomes. This trial assessed the effectiveness of the World Health Organisation (WHO) mOralHealth programme in improving orthodontic patients' oral hygiene and OHL.
methodsA randomised controlled trial was conducted involving 60 orthodontic patients aged 16-25 in the orthodontic clinic of Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt. Oral hygiene was measured using the Silness-Löe Plaque Index (PI). OHL was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ) across four domains. Baseline assessments (T0) for both OHL and PI were conducted before randomly assigning participants to either a control group (n = 30), receiving standard oral hygiene instructions, or an intervention group (n = 30), receiving the same instructions in addition to the WHO mOralHealth programme (46 WhatsApp messages delivered over 12 weeks). OHL and PI were reassessed after one month (T1) and three months (T2) and compared to T0 to monitor changes in both outcomes. Data collected were analysed using SPSS. The association between PI and OHL was assessed at all time points.
resultsAt T0, no significant differences were observed between groups in demographics, oral hygiene behaviours, or OHL. At T2, the intervention group showed significantly lower median PI scores (1.33, IQR = 1.00-1.63) than the control group (1.83, IQR = 1.50-2.00; p = 0.001). OHL scores were also significantly higher in the intervention group, particularly in the reading and numeracy domains (p < 0.01). Plaque scores were negatively correlated with numeracy (p = 0.012) and decision-making (p = 0.045) within the intervention group.
conclusionThe mOralHealth programme implemented via WhatsApp significantly improved oral hygiene and OHL among orthodontic patients over three months compared to standard oral hygiene instructions, with potential for integration into orthodontic care as a practical and scalable approach to enhance plaque control, sustain oral hygiene habits, and support long-term behavioural change when reinforced over time.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, TRN: NCT06734325, Registration date:11 December 2024, retrospectively registered.
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