Effect of mobile app-based oral hygiene instructions on clinical parameters, oral bacterial diversity, and composition of subgingival microbiota in periodontitis patients

Abstract

Introduction Oral hygiene instruction (OHI) is essential during periodontitis treatment. Various OHI approaches have been explored, including mobile apps.Objective To evaluate the mobile app-based OHI’s effect on periodontitis management by analyzing clinical parameters and subgingival microbiota.Methods Forty-four periodontitis patients were randomly assigned into two groups. The test group (n = 22) received scaling and root planing (SRP), OHI, and mobile app-based OHI, whereas the control group (n = 22) received SRP and OHI. Full mouth plaque score (FMPS), bleeding on probing (BOP) and probing pocket depth at the sampling sites (site-PPD) were assessed at baseline, one- and three-month visits. The 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze subgingival plaque samples.Results Significant reduction in FMPS, BOP, and site-PPD at one- and three-month visits compared to baseline (p 0.05). In test groups, intra-group analysis showed better improvement in BOP and site-PPD (p 0.05).Conclusions Mobile app-based OHI showed no superior effects on improving clinical parameters and subgingival microbiota compared to conventional OHI. Further investigation into its long-term impact on periodontitis treatment is needed.

Keywords

• Periodontitis
• periodontal treatment
• oral hygiene instructions
• smartphone app
• subgingival microbiota
• dentistry