A recent study on app-based reminders demonstrates the connection between technology and dentistry to improve patient care. The study, performed in Riyadh, measured the efficacy of app-based reminders that notified orthodontic patients three times a day to clean their teeth1.
Measuring the Use of App-Based Reminders
This study utilizes technology to improve dental health, and they used a control group to measure. The control group was only reminded about the hygiene protocol for their specific orthodontia at routine checkups. The study enabled researchers to compare the plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) for the patients who used app reminders, and those who did not.
The Study’s Results
As expected, the patients who received daily reminders to clean their teeth had a significant decrease in their plaque and gingival indexes, while the control group’s indexes did not see significant changes. This suggests that receiving app reminders had a positive impact on patient’s oral hygiene.
What This Means for You as a Dentist
This case study sheds some light on why continuously learning and growing with technology is so important for dentists. Not only could this study lead to new developments in the dental industry that push focusing more heavily on technology when issuing at home care procedures to patients, but it also means that by making room for technology in the dental industry, we can really make a difference in people’s daily lives.
With much of dental hygiene and upkeep resting on the shoulders of the individual patients outside of the office, dentists can sometimes feel like there is only so much they can do. This is why innovations such as app-based reminders are a particularly exciting innovation for the dental industry!
At Keating Dental Lab, we pride ourselves on staying up to date on the latest technologies while we constantly learn and grow as a company. We know that the best way to continually provide value to you is to constantly keep learning and never settling for complacency.
We urge you to do the same. As dentists, you have the ability to enhance your patients lives not just by providing a great experience when they are in the chair, but by offering them a comprehensive care program that caters to their needs.
