Parental-oriented educational mobile messages to aid in the control of early childhood caries in low socioeconomic children: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of educational messages as an aid in the control of early childhood caries (ECC) in low socioeconomic children. Methods: A single-blinded, randomized, and parallel-group study was conducted with 104 dyads of parents and children aged between 36–60 months, recruited in preschools from Bauru, Brazil. The participants were randomly allocated into control and intervention groups (1:1), stratified by parental eHealth literacy scores (eHEALS) and children's caries experience. Every 2 weeks, text messages were sent to parents of intervention group via WhatsApp. Visible plaque index (VPI) and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-ups, while eHEALS and dietary habits were determined at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed to intra and intergroup comparisons through Fischer's exact and McNemar tests, and Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests, respectively (P < 0.05). Results: Despite similarities between groups, intervention increased parental eHEALS scores, influencing the reports about the children's consumption of sugar-free sweets and controlling the severity of ECC. Conclusion: Therefore, mobile text messages were effective to control the severity of ECC in low socioeconomic preschoolers, improving parental eHealth literacy and changing children's dietary patterns. Clinical significance: These findings demonstrate that parental-oriented WhatsApp messages can contribute to oral health education of socioeconomic vulnerable parents towards risk behavior changes to control ECC.