Influence of active reminders on oral hygiene compliance in orthodontic patients

Objective: To determine if text message reminders regarding oral hygiene compliance have an influence on the level of compliance within an orthodontic population. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 42 orthodontic patients were assigned to a text message or control group. Parents of patients assigned to the text message group received a reminder text message one weekday each week. Oral hygiene compliance was measured using bleeding index (BI), modified gingival index (MGI), and plaque index (PI), and visual examination of white spot lesion (WSL) development at baseline (TO), two appointments after baseline (T1), and four appointments after baseline (T2). Results: BI, MGI, and PI scores were significantly lower in the text message group than in the control group at T2. Conclusion: A text message reminder system is effective for improving oral hygiene compliance in orthodontic patients.