Evaluating the Efficacy of mHealth Interventions in Promoting Healthy Smiles among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Early childhood caries remains prevalent despite being preventable. Mobile health (mHealth) tools such as apps, chatbots, SMS, and telehealth offer novel strategies for oral health promotion. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth interventions in improving oral health outcomes among children. Following PRISMA 2020, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized and clinical trials published in English within the past 5 years (up to November 15, 2024). Studies included healthy children aged 0–12 years. Two reviewers extracted data; risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model in CMA Version 4. From 6480 records, six studies with follow-up durations ranging from 2 weeks to 12 months were included. Interventions improved oral hygiene behaviors and fluoride use. Meta-analysis showed significant improvement in caries outcomes (effect size = 3.74, 95% CI: 1.43–6.05; I2 = 21.1%), while plaque outcomes were inconsistent. mHealth interventions enhance oral health behaviors, but their long-term effect on caries remains uncertain. Longer follow-up and AI-driven approaches are needed.
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BibTeX
@article{sinha2026evaluating,
title = {{Evaluating the Efficacy of mHealth Interventions in Promoting Healthy Smiles among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
author = {Aruhi Sinha and Milind Wasnik and Ramakrishna Chevvuri and Sopan Singh and Abhinav Parakh and Poonam Narang},
journal = {Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_238_25},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_238_25},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluating the Efficacy of mHealth Interventions in Promoting Healthy Smiles among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AU - Aruhi Sinha
AU - Milind Wasnik
AU - Ramakrishna Chevvuri
AU - Sopan Singh
AU - Abhinav Parakh
AU - Poonam Narang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry
DO - 10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_238_25
UR - https://doi.org/10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_238_25
AB - Early childhood caries remains prevalent despite being preventable. Mobile health (mHealth) tools such as apps, chatbots, SMS, and telehealth offer novel strategies for oral health promotion. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth interventions in improving oral health outcomes among children. Following PRISMA 2020, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized and clinical trials published in English within the past 5 years (up to November 15, 2024). Studies included healthy children aged 0–12 years. Two reviewers extracted data; risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model in CMA Version 4. From 6480 records, six studies with follow-up durations ranging from 2 weeks to 12 months were included. Interventions improved oral hygiene behaviors and fluoride use. Meta-analysis showed significant improvement in caries outcomes (effect size = 3.74, 95% CI: 1.43–6.05; I2 = 21.1%), while plaque outcomes were inconsistent. mHealth interventions enhance oral health behaviors, but their long-term effect on caries remains uncertain. Longer follow-up and AI-driven approaches are needed.
SN - 2319-5932
SN - 2350-0484
ER -