JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Oral health is a significant part of general health. Poor oral health can influence an individual’s appearance, self-esteem, eating and speaking. The use of mobile phone applications (mobile apps) has been growing in the field of medicine, including dentistry. However, to date there is no evidence relating to the availability of mobile apps focusing on various branches of dentistry.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to review the scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone applications in oral health and summarize the key findings.

Methods:

A scoping review of the published scientific literature on the use of patient-oriented mobile phone applications in oral health was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Protocol (JBI). A search was performed in PubMed and Scopus for studies published between January 2000 and June 2021 that were written in English. All the study types except for the ones reporting the developmental protocols were included in this review. Two reviewers independently screened the studies using the eligibility criteria. The study protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) registries in June 2021.

Results:

The initial search yielded a total of 977 studies, 45 met the inclusion criteria. All the studies were published after 2009. A majority of the studies (68.9 %) concerned oral health promotion using mobile phone applications followed by behaviour management (11.1 %). More than half of the included studies (n=23) had been performed in Asian countries. One-third of the studies (n=14) were focused on adolescents. Twenty-three studies were randomized control trials. About 40% (n=9) of the included randomised control trial studies reported significant reduction in dental plaque and six studies reported significant improvement in gingival health. Regarding the dental anxiety management, three randomised control trial studies reported significant decrease in mean heart rate and lower facial image scale scores.

Conclusions:

According to the literature, the use of mobile applications in oral health is increasing among patients, mainly children and adolescents. Many studies which have used mobile applications have focused on promoting oral health. However, other areas such as diagnostic and remote consultations (tele-dentistry) have, until recently, been neglected despite its great potential.