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Pascadopoli M, Zampetti P, Nardi MG, Pellegrini M, Scribante A. Smartphone Applications in Dentistry: A Scoping Review. Dent J (Basel) 2023; 11:243. [PMID: 37886928 PMCID: PMC10605491 DOI: 10.3390/dj11100243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This scoping review aims to investigate the latest literature concerning the use of smartphone applications (apps) in the prevention, management, and monitoring of oral diseases. Smartphone applications are software programs that are designed to run on smartphones. Nowadays, smartphones are regularly used by people of all ages, and mobile health apps (MHAs) represent an important means of spreading information related to oral health, which is the state of the mouth and teeth, including the gums and other tissues. Several apps have been designed to promote prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutic adherence monitoring. This scoping review considered randomized clinical trials, cross-sectional studies, before-after (pre-post) studies with no control group, and observational studies. Once the inclusion and exclusion criteria had been defined, a preliminary confined search was performed on PubMed and Scopus; key terms from the collected articles were selected to design a search strategy, and then a search of all the included articles' reference lists was run for further research. Studies were excluded if they did not fulfill the inclusion criteria. The preferred reporting items for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) consensus was followed. The risk of bias was evaluated by providing a qualitative analysis of the clinical studies via the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Quality Assessment of Controlled Intervention Studies, Observational Cohort Studies, and Cross-Sectional Studies (NHLBI, NIH). A total of 21 studies were included in this review. As it is clear from the studies selected, the literature indicates that MHAs are effective in improving oral hygiene in adolescents and children and reducing the dental plaque index, including in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. MHAs are also able to reduce the symptoms of patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and improve the swallowing-related quality of life of elderly patients. MHAs are furthermore recommended to decrease dental anxiety among patients, both during dental procedures and the post-operative period. MHAs are useful to spread knowledge about traumatic dental injuries among non-oral health professionals and to monitor dental erosion and awake bruxism. MHAs' clinical outcomes might have been influenced by the demographic features of the subjects involved. Further studies considering a longer follow-up period and larger samples are needed. In conclusion, MHAs can be considered a useful tool to monitor oral disease and increase patients' quality of life related to oral health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Pascadopoli
- Unit of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Section of Dentistry, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.P.); (P.Z.); (A.S.)
| | - Paolo Zampetti
- Unit of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Section of Dentistry, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.P.); (P.Z.); (A.S.)
| | - Maria Gloria Nardi
- Unit of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Section of Dentistry, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.P.); (P.Z.); (A.S.)
| | - Matteo Pellegrini
- Maxillofacial Surgery and Dental Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Via della Commenda 10, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Scribante
- Unit of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Section of Dentistry, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.P.); (P.Z.); (A.S.)
- Unit of Dental Hygiene, Section of Dentistry, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Liu C, Staples R, Gómez-Cerezo MN, Ivanovski S, Han P. Emerging Technologies of Three-Dimensional Printing and Mobile Health in COVID-19 Immunity and Regenerative Dentistry. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 2023; 29:163-182. [PMID: 36200626 DOI: 10.1089/ten.tec.2022.0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlights the importance of developing point-of-care (POC) antibody tests for monitoring the COVID-19 immune response upon viral infection or following vaccination, which requires three key aspects to achieve optimal monitoring, including three-dimensional (3D)-printed POC devices, mobile health (mHealth), and noninvasive sampling. As a critical tissue engineering concept, additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing) enables accurate control over the dimensional and architectural features of the devices. mHealth refers to the use of portable digital devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and fitness and medical wearables, to support health, which facilitates contact tracing, and telehealth consultations during the pandemic. Compared with invasive biosample (blood), saliva is of great importance in the spread and surveillance of COVID-19 as a noninvasive diagnostic method for virus detection and immune status monitoring. However, investigations into 3D-printed POC antibody test and mHealth using noninvasive saliva are relatively limited. Further exploration of 3D-printed antibody POC tests and mHealth applications to monitor antibody production for either disease onset or immune response following vaccination is warranted. This review briefly describes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus and immune response after infection and vaccination, then discusses current widely used binding antibody tests using blood samples and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays on two-dimensional microplates before focusing upon emerging POC technological platforms, such as field-effect transistor biosensors, lateral flow assay, microfluidics, and AM for fabricating immunoassays, and the possibility of their combination with mHealth. This review proposes that noninvasive biofluid sampling combined with 3D POC antibody tests and mHealth technologies is a promising and novel approach for POC detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 immune response. Furthermore, as key concepts in dentistry, the application of 3D printing and mHealth was also included to facilitate the appreciation of cutting edge techniques in regenerative dentistry. This review highlights the potential of 3D printing and mHealth in both COVID-19 immunity monitoring and regenerative dentistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Liu
- School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Center for Oral-Facial Regeneration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (COR3), School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Reuben Staples
- Center for Oral-Facial Regeneration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (COR3), School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maria Natividad Gómez-Cerezo
- Center for Oral-Facial Regeneration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (COR3), School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sašo Ivanovski
- School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Center for Oral-Facial Regeneration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (COR3), School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Pingping Han
- School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Center for Oral-Facial Regeneration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (COR3), School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Impact of smartphone application usage by mothers in improving oral health and its determinants in early childhood: a randomised controlled trial in a paediatric dental setting. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 2022; 23:629-639. [PMID: 35841512 PMCID: PMC9287817 DOI: 10.1007/s40368-022-00731-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Integration of smartphones has overcome barriers in traditional education; this trial aimed at exploring this ubiquitous platform in oral health education. A smartphone application promoting preschooler’s oral health was designed and its effectiveness was compared with that of common oral health education delivered in paediatric dental settings. Methods This controlled clinical trial was performed on preschooler–mother dyads referring to the clinic of Tehran School of Dentistry in 2019–2020. Initially, the dyads were randomly partitioned to application intervention or common training groups. The mothers answered an interviewer-administered questionnaire on paediatric dentistry knowledge, attitude and practice regarding children’s oral health; modified plaque index (m-PI) and modified gingival index (m-GI) of children were measured. Subsequently, the smartphone application was installed for application intervention group and an educational pamphlet and verbal explanations were given to common training group. In 1-month and 3-month follow-ups, the questionnaires and clinical measurement were re-done. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to investigate the effect of training methods. Results Among the participants 51 dyad attended baseline and follow-up assessments. The preschoolers mean age was 4.6 ± 1.2 years and 54.4% were girls. Both trainings improved mothers’ knowledge and practice regarding children’s oral health and reduced children’s m-PI and m-GI (p < 0.050). The 3-month follow-up revealed a better m-GI in application intervention group (p < 0.001). Conclusions Considering the greater improvement of paediatric gingival status in the application intervention group, it appears that smartphone applications may provide a promising tool for more prolonged impacts in children oral health care. Trial registration IRCT, IRCT20131102015238N3. Registered 28 July 2019 https://en.irct.ir/trial/40933 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40368-022-00731-9.
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Estai M, Bunt SM, Kanagasingam Y, Kruger E, Tennant M. A resource reallocation model for school dental screening: taking advantage of teledentistry in low-risk areas. Int Dent J 2018; 68:262-268. [DOI: 10.1111/idj.12379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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