<p>Implementing post-orthodontic compliance among adolescents wearing removable retainers through Whatsapp: a pilot study</p>

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether the use of social media is useful in improving compliance and follow-up attendance among patients wearing retainers after orthodontic treatment. Patients and methods: Sixty post-orthodontic patients (aged 16–19 years), randomized in two groups: follow-up supported by participation in WhatsApp chat group (SG), and Control Group (CG). All patients were scheduled for quarterly check-ups for monitoring of orthodontic stability by measurement of intercanine width at the beginning of the study (t 0 ) and every 4 months t 1 , t 2 , t 3 ) for 1 year of observation. Patients in the SG additionally participated in a WhatsApp chat group, where they would send, on a weekly basis, snapshots showing his/her occlusion. Every month, the orthodontist acting as the moderator awarded the best five snapshots by publishing a ranking in the chat. Results: Participants in the SG featured smaller changes from the intercanine widths at baseline (at debonding) compared to the CG patients at all times during 1 year of follow-up. Follow-up attendance was regular in both groups in the first 8 months of follow-up. After that, patient compliance decreased in the CG, with eight patients missing check-up appointments. Conclusion: Engaging adolescent patients directly through WhatsApp activity seems to increase regularity in wearing removable retainers, attendance to follow-up schedule, and yield better long-term outcome in terms of orthodontic stability and compliance.

A Snapshot of Knowledge about Oral Cancer in Italy: A 505 Person Survey

“…Specific programs for improving awareness could be implemented using easy-to-use tools. Indeed, technologies have been found to be effective in increasing the motivation and awareness of patients [ 43 , 44 ], for example as health apps used to discourage incorrect habits and to encourage healthy behaviors and motivate people to work out or to comply with a balanced diet plan. In this regard, something could also be done to nudge the population towards regular self-inspections and dental visits [ 45 ].…”

<p>Comparison of Effectiveness of Mobile App versus Conventional Educational Lectures on Oral Hygiene Knowledge and Behavior of High School Students in Saudi Arabia</p>

“…23 The benefits of using technologies as an educational tool have been highlighted in dental literature. [14][15][16][17][18]24 Smartphones and other mobile devices may be a valuable tool for health promotion, as they are more readily accepted among young people than traditional means of dental education. 16,25,26 In fact, in clinical settings, dental education apps have been found to improve patient-provider communication.…”

“…30,31 Strategies that can be implemented to improve user engagement with an app include ease of use, attractive user interface, unique smartphone features (eg, real-time visualized brushing instructions), and tailored design and information. 13,15,30,31 Nevertheless, as suggested by several recently published studies, 17,18,28 incorporating mobile apps with a standard oral hygiene program may be a more plausible approach for oral health promotion among adolescents than educational lectures alone such as via distance motivational tutoring by a dentist or an educator.…”

“…[13][14][15][16] In addition, it has been shown that the use of mHealth with a conventional oral health education program is more effective in improving compliance among adolescent patients than verbal instructions of oral hygiene alone. 17,18 To date, however, only a limited number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of numerous mobile applications developed for improving oral hygiene behavior.…”

Web Class Portal System for Student Information Database

“…We have a lot of social media application such as Whatsapp, Instagram, Wechat and a lot more, we can connect with each other among our friends [1][2][3][4]. The rise of specific apps for social media engagement also quite large such as LinKedIn and few others have motivated others to develop very specific social media platform [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Thus, in this project we have developed a portal for student to engage in active or passive discussion among them that act just like other social media with multiple functions.…”