App encourages children to brush their teeth properly
A dental app that encourages young children to maintain a good oral health routine has proven to be effective in its aims, according to research published in the British Dental Journal.
Brush DJ, a free app that plays music for two minutes, the recommended amount of time to spend brushing teeth, launched in the Apple App Store at the end of 2011, and was accepted into the NHS Choices Health Apps Library in 2013. The latest results, from February 2015, show that the app has been downloaded to more than 197,000 devices across 188 countries.
Able to be used with any type of toothbrush, the app plays music either from a playlist or selects random tracks from the user’s device, and plays them for two minutes. As well as assisting with brushing teeth, the app also sets reminders for users to spit after brushing but not rinse, use a mouthwash at other times of the day, and replace toothbrushes once every three months, as well as creating alerts for dental appointments.
Research showed that 70% of respondents felt their teeth were cleaner since using the app, while 88% stated that the app had kept them motivated to brush their teeth for long. Nine out of ten users would recommend Brush DJ to friends and family.
The team that carried out the research for the British Dental Journal included a general dental practitioner and NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellow from York, a consultant orthodontist from Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, and a lead dental researcher, educator and Foundation Dean of the Peninsula Dental School from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Leader of the study, Ben Underwood, said that Brush DJ had showed ‘positive effect’ over four main areas – ‘motivation, education, compliance, and perceived benefits’. The study showed that the app, and similar products, were beneficial to users, and ‘open the way for further research to extend their use and effectiveness still further’. Underwood is a dentist, app developer, NHS Innovation Fellow and Honorary University Fellow at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Foundation Dean of the Peninsula Dental School, Professor Elizabeth Kay, co-authored the study, and stated that dental health conditions such as tooth decay are so easily preventable, which is why apps such as Brush DJ, which improve understanding and the adoption of good oral health routines, are so important.
