| Title |
Smartphone Applications Are Available to Help Orthodontic Patients and Clinicians |
| Clinical Question |
In regard to orthodontists and orthodontic patients, how does the use of smart phone applications enhance treatment planning and patient education? |
| Clinical Bottom Line |
The number of orthodontic applications is increasing. They have the ability to update with no additional purchase to the user, and supply the user (patient or clinician) with the most recent information about orthodontics, patient education tools, treatment planning modules, and private practice patient portals. |
| Best Evidence |
|
| PubMed ID |
Author / Year |
Patient Group |
Study type
(level of evidence) |
| 24950127 | Baheti/2014 | 3 smartphones and 2 tablets, using 3 operating systems to search for available orthodontic apps. | Comparative | | Key results | For Android OS, there were 12 orthodontic apps for clinicians, 10 for patients, 23 for practice marketing, and 4 for simulations. Apple OS offered 15, 13, 30, and 12, respectively. Windows OS did not offer any orthodontic apps. | | 24009325 | Singh/2013 | 4 smartphones, 4 operating systems to search for available orthodontic apps. | Comparative | | Key results | For Android OS, there were 7 orthodontic apps for clinicians, 4 for patients, 19 for practice marketing, and 2 for simulations. Apple OS offered 9, 8, 30, 10, respectively. Windows OS and Blackberry OS did not offer any orthodontic apps. | |
| Evidence Search |
("cell phones"[MeSH Terms] OR ("cell"[All Fields] AND "phones"[All Fields]) OR "cell phones"[All Fields]) AND ("dentistry"[MeSH Terms] OR "dentistry"[All Fields]) AND ("patient education handout"[Publication Type] OR "patient education as topic"[MeSH Terms] OR "patient education"[All Fields]) |
Comments on
The Evidence |
Validity: These studies were conducted within approximately 1 year of each other and yet there were about 20 more applications available for each operating system in that year. The longevity of apps increase with easily downloadable updates, and syncing to databases for the most up-to-date information and cases.
Perspective: These studies are the stepping-stone for subsequent studies that evaluate the usefulness and applicability of orthodontic apps for patient education and clinical treatment planning.
|
| Applicability |
The types of orthodontic applications for patients can educated the patient on braces in general, maintenance of braces, what to do in an orthodontic emergency, and more. The applicability of the treatment planning applications for clinicians is unknown and needs to be studied. |
| Specialty |
(Orthodontics) |
| Keywords |
Smart Phone, Cell Phone, Application, Dentistry, Patient Education
|
| ID# |
3019 |
| Date of submission |
03/23/2016 |
| E-mail |
Pateld9@livemail.uthscsa.edu |
| Author |
Dhea Patel |
| Co-author(s) |
|
| Co-author(s) e-mail |
|
| Faculty mentor |
Ann Larsen DDS, MS |
| Faculty mentor e-mail |
larsena@uthscsa.edu |
| |
|
Basic Science Rationale
(Mechanisms that may account for and/or explain the clinical question, i.e. is the answer to the clinical question consistent with basic biological, physical and/or behavioral science principles, laws and research?) |
| None available | |
 |
Comments and Evidence-Based Updates on the CAT
(FOR PRACTICING DENTISTS', FACULTY, RESIDENTS and/or STUDENTS COMMENTS ON PUBLISHED CATs) |
| None available | |