Development, validation and effectiveness of a mobile app on prenatal dental care: using technology as an educational tool.

• Grant number: 24/08389-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Pediatric Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Francisco Wanderley Garcia de Paula e Silva
• Grantee: Caroline Amaro da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto (FORP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mothers' knowledge of oral health is directly related to the oral health of their children, so the gestational period is a golden time for actions to raise awareness of healthy habits for the whole family. There is a lack of applications on this subject, developed by health professionals, based on reliable sources of information, in appropriate language, with a high degree of functionality and tested for their applicability and effectiveness. Thus, the aim of this project is to create an app focused on oral health education, with the aim of disseminating multidisciplinary educational practices added to dental prenatal care. This research project will be divided into two studies. Study I will be the development of a mobile application, and Study II will evaluate the effectiveness of this resource. Questionnaires will be used to assess the usability and satisfaction of the application, such as the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the five-point Likert scale. To assess the effectiveness of this tool, a randomized, blind, parallel and controlled clinical study will be carried out, in which the control group will receive general guidance on the subject and the experimental group will also receive such guidance and will also have access to the mobile application developed. In addition, the technological process will be scaled according to the IDEAS Impact Framework® methodology. In this way, it is hoped that the creation of this application will spread self-care and the recognition of the main problems and their associated risk factors.