Dental Research Center, Orthodontics Department, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Private Practice, Mashhad, Iran.
BMC Oral Health. 2024 Oct 23;24(1):1266. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-05014-x.
To compare the effectiveness of different oral hygiene education strategies on periodontal health in fixed orthodontic patients in a one-month period: assistant-led instruction, social media-based education, and custom-made software.
Sixty orthodontic patients from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences' Dentistry School were randomly assigned into three groups. Each group received oral health education differently: via assistant instruction, educational videos on social media, or a researcher-designed software for Android smartphones. After a month, participants' oral health was evaluated using the plaque index (PI) and the gingival index (GI).
Assistant-led education group demonstrated the highest PI (1.26 ± 0.70) and GI (0.92 ± 0.67), while the software group reported the lowest indices (PI = 0.68, GI = 0.46 ± 0.46). The social media group's measurements fell between these extremes (PI = 0.89 ± 0.75, GI = 0.60 ± 0.52). Significant group differences were found for both PI and GI (P = 0.028 and P = 0.047, respectively). Pairwise comparison revealed significantly lower PI and GI in the software group compared to the assistant group. No significant differences were found between the social media and other groups.
Our results suggest that the use of specially designed software could be the most effective strategy for improving oral hygiene in orthodontic patients. Meanwhile, traditional assistant-led education showed the least effectiveness. The study supports the potential benefit of utilizing digital tools, such as bespoke software and social media, in oral health education for orthodontic patients.
The study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) database with the identification code IRCT20200609047705N2 in 13.07.2021.
比较不同口腔卫生教育策略在固定正畸患者一个月内对牙周健康的效果：助手指导、基于社交媒体的教育和定制软件。
马什哈德医科大学牙科学院的 60 名正畸患者被随机分为三组。每组接受不同的口腔健康教育：通过助手指导、社交媒体上的教育视频或研究人员为安卓智能手机设计的软件。一个月后，使用菌斑指数（PI）和牙龈指数（GI）评估参与者的口腔健康。
助手指导教育组的 PI（1.26±0.70）和 GI（0.92±0.67）最高，而软件组报告的指数最低（PI=0.68，GI=0.46±0.46）。社交媒体组的测量结果介于这两个极端之间（PI=0.89±0.75，GI=0.60±0.52）。PI 和 GI 均存在显著的组间差异（P=0.028 和 P=0.047）。两两比较显示，软件组的 PI 和 GI 明显低于助手组。社交媒体组与其他组之间无显著差异。
我们的结果表明，使用专门设计的软件可能是改善正畸患者口腔卫生的最有效策略。同时，传统的助手指导教育效果最差。该研究支持在正畸患者的口腔健康教育中利用数字工具（如定制软件和社交媒体）的潜在益处。
该研究于 2021 年 7 月 13 日在伊朗临床试验注册中心（IRCT）数据库中以识别码 IRCT20200609047705N2 注册。
