Personalised provision of orthodontic treatment information: Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the quality and effectiveness of a personalised mobile App designed to support patients with fixed (train track) braces: A randomised controlled trial (student study)
IRAS ID
226639
Contact name
Susan Cunningham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London, Joint Research Office
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2019/06/211, Data protection
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Investigating the quality and effectiveness of a personalised mobile App designed to support patients with fixed (train track) braces: a Randomised Controlled Trial
The National Child Dental Health Survey indicated that 9% of 12 years olds are receiving orthodontic treatment (the use of braces to straighten teeth) and a further 37% have an unmet need. Treatment duration is lengthy (2-3 years on average) and adherence to treatment advice is essential for successful outcomes. It has been reported that up to 43% of patients fail to complete treatment and there are currently no useful predictors of non-completion. The NHS England annual spend on primary care orthodontics is in excess of £200 million, non-completion of treatment therefore represents a significant inefficient use of public resources.
Mobile phones are potentially an invaluable tool in improving adherence, they are readily available and can utilised to deliver several approaches to improve adherence simultaneously. A personalised App to help support orthodontic patients (‘My Braces’) was therefore developed by the researchers.
This research will be conducted in 2 phases at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute:
Phase 1: A study to assess the quality of the My Braces App by end users. The user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) will be used.
Changes/improvements identified in phase 1 will be implemented prior to utilising the App in Phase 2:
Phase 2: A randomised controlled trial to assess whether the provision of personalised treatment information affects adherence. Participants will be allocated to one of three groups:
A: Standard treatment information (verbal and written) and a toothbrushing timer via the App
B: As group A plus generic treatment information via the App
C: As Group B. Additionally, personalised information via the App, including for example, appointment reminders, a personal treatment journey and progress photographs.If effective, this methodology potentially has applicability across health care.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1555
Date of REC Opinion
14 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion