Pisano Massimo, Bramanti Alessia, Di Spirito Federica, Di Palo Maria Pia, De Benedetto Giuseppina, Amato Alessandra, Amato Massimo
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Via Salvador Allende, 84081 Baronissi, Italy.
Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
J Clin Med. 2025 Mar 19;14(6):2105. doi: 10.3390/jcm14062105.
: Children with special healthcare needs (SHCNs) face various physical, developmental, sensory, behavioral, or cognitive challenges affecting oral health and highlighting the need for specialized and more accessible oral and dental care. Mobile health (m-health) applications have emerged as a promising solution to bridge oral health education gaps and improve dental care access. This narrative review aimed to examine the available dental m-health applications designed for children with cognitive and physical impairments, exploring the perspectives of children, parents/caregivers, and dentists regarding their use and potential contribution to oral health. Based on these insights, a concept for a tailored dental m-health app is proposed, considering the interactions between children, caregivers, and dentists to support oral care. : A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies on the use of m-health apps in pediatric dentistry for SHCN children. : Six studies were included in this review. M-health applications helped manage anxiety, behavioral issues, and compliance in children and were generally well received by parents and caregivers, thus improving oral hygiene practices and regular dental visits, and having the potential to reduce oral health disparities in children with cognitive and physical impairments and their families. However, current apps designed for children are limited and may not fully accommodate the diverse sensory needs of these SHCN children. : The development of a tailored dental m-health app that adapts to the individual characteristics of SHCN children could enhance oral health awareness and support better compliance among children, parents/caregivers, and dentists.
有特殊医疗需求的儿童（SHCNs）面临各种身体、发育、感官、行为或认知方面的挑战，这些挑战会影响口腔健康，凸显了获得专业且更易获得的口腔和牙科护理的必要性。移动健康（m-health）应用程序已成为一种有前景的解决方案，可弥合口腔健康教育差距并改善牙科护理的可及性。本叙述性综述旨在研究为认知和身体有障碍的儿童设计的现有牙科移动健康应用程序，探讨儿童、父母/照顾者和牙医对其使用情况以及对口腔健康潜在贡献的看法。基于这些见解，提出了一个定制牙科移动健康应用程序的概念，考虑到儿童、照顾者和牙医之间的互动以支持口腔护理。：使用MEDLINE/PubMed、Scopus和Web of Science进行文献检索，以识别关于在儿科牙科中为有特殊医疗需求的儿童使用移动健康应用程序的研究。：本综述纳入了六项研究。移动健康应用程序有助于管理儿童的焦虑、行为问题和依从性，并且总体上受到父母和照顾者的好评，从而改善了口腔卫生习惯和定期牙科就诊情况，并有潜力减少认知和身体有障碍的儿童及其家庭中的口腔健康差距。然而，目前为儿童设计的应用程序有限，可能无法完全满足这些有特殊医疗需求儿童的多样化感官需求。：开发一个适应有特殊医疗需求儿童个体特征的定制牙科移动健康应用程序，可以提高口腔健康意识，并支持儿童、父母/照顾者和牙医更好地依从。
