The Effect of Active Reminders on Oral Hygiene in Orthodontics

The Effect of Active Reminders on Oral Hygiene of Patients With Fixed Orthodontic Appliances With Different Time Intervals

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of text message active reminders at different time intervals of oral hygiene instructions in patients with orthodontic fixed appliances.

Participants with orthodontic fixed appliances will be recruited from the university hospital clinics to receive text message reminders of oral hygiene. Four groups of participants will be formulated. Group 1 will be the control group and will not receive text messages. Group 2 will receive messages once a week. Group 3 will receive text message reminders 3 times a week. Group 4 will receive daily reminders. At baseline, after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks, gingival index and plaque index will be measured at each time point and then compared between groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants were having orthodontic fixed appliance treatment.
• Participants were aged 12 years old and above, owned mobile phones and did not have mental or physical disabilities.
• Participants were willing to comply with given oral hygiene instructions.