Parental-oriented educational mobile messages to aid in the control of early childhood caries in low socioeconomic children: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of educational messages as an aid in the control of early childhood caries (ECC) in low socioeconomic children. Methods: A single-blinded, randomized, and parallel-group study was conducted with 104 dyads of parents and children aged between 36-60 months, recruited in preschools from Baum, Brazil. The participants were randomly allocated into control and intervention groups (1:1), stratified by parental eHealth literacy scores (eHEALS) and children's caries experience. Every 2 weeks, text messages were sent to parents of intervention group via WhatsApp. Visible plaque index (VPI) and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-ups, while eHEALS and dietary habits were determined at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed to intra and intergroup comparisons through Fischer's exact and McNemar tests, and Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests, respectively (P < 0.05). Results: Despite similarities between groups, intervention increased parental eHEALS scores, influencing the reports about the children's consumption of sugar-free sweets and controlling the severity of ECC. Conclusion: Therefore, mobile text messages were effective to control the severity of ECC in low socioeconomic preschoolers, improving parental eHealth literacy and changing children's dietary patterns. Clinical significance: These findings demonstrate that parental-oriented WhatsApp messages can contribute to oral health education of socioeconomic vulnerable parents towards risk behavior changes to control ECC.