Dentistry JournalSmartphone Applications in Dentistry: A Scoping Review

Harnessing Mobile Health Applications: A New Frontier in Reducing Dental Anxiety & More

This article explores the role of mobile health applications (MHAs) in the prevention, management, and monitoring of oral diseases. The authors, Maurizio Pascadopoli, Paolo Zampetti, Maria Gloria Nardi, Matteo Pellegrini, and Andrea Scribante, provide a comprehensive review of the latest literature on this topic.

HCN Medical Memo
The findings from this review highlight the potential of MHAs in improving oral health outcomes. For dentists, this underscores the importance of integrating such technology into patient care. As MHAs continue to evolve, they could potentially revolutionize how oral health care is delivered, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Key Points

• The concept of “mobile health” (mHealth) refers to the promotion of healthcare through mobile apps and wireless connections.
• MHAs aim to monitor significant factors related to diet, exercise, and therapeutic adherence, which play an important role in several diseases.
• MHAs are effective in improving oral hygiene in adolescents and children and reducing the dental plaque index.
• MHAs are also able to reduce the symptoms of patients affected by obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and improve the swallowing-related quality of life of elderly patients.
• MHAs are recommended to decrease dental anxiety among patients, both during dental procedures and the post-operative period.
• MHAs are useful to spread knowledge about traumatic dental injuries among non-oral health professionals and to monitor dental erosion and awake bruxism.

According to a report by Grand View Research, Inc., the global mHealth apps market size was valued at USD 40.05 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% from 2021 to 2028.

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