The tooth-brushing app to help kids adopt effective routine

 

Washington D.C: Want to keep dental problems away from your kids? There's this tooth brushing app that has been designed to encourage youngsters to adopt and maintain an effective oral health care routine.

 

Brush DJ was launched on the Apple App Store at the end of 2011 and in 2013 it was accepted into the NHS Choices Health Apps Library.

 

By February 2015 Brush DJ, which is free with no advertisements or in-app purchases, had been downloaded on more than 197,000 devices in 188 countries. It can be used with any type of toothbrush.

 

As well as encouraging tooth brushing for two minutes, the app also reminds users to spit out after brushing but not to rinse, sets reminders to brush twice a day, use a mouthwash at other non-brushing times of the day, sets alerts for dental appointments and reminders to change toothbrushes once every three months. Fundamentally, it makes brushing teeth fun for youngsters.

 

A new research showed that 70 per cent of respondents reported their teeth felt cleaner since using the app and 88 per cent said that Brush DJ had motivated them to brush their teeth for longer. Ninety per cent said they would recommend the app to their friends and family.

 

The research team concluded that not only had Brush DJ contributed to greater motivation for young people to care for their teeth more effectively, but it also has huge potential as a way to convey important oral health messages and information.

 

Indeed, a recommendation from the study suggests that it would be reasonable to prescribe such an app in the same way in which fluoride toothpastes are currently prescribed in the UK.

 

Ben Underwood, dentist, app developer, said that Brush DJ showed the positive effect across four main themes- motivation, education, compliance and perceived benefits.

 

Underwood added that the results of our study indicate that apps such as Brush DJ are beneficial to users and open the way for further research to extend their use and effectiveness still further.

 

The study appears in the British Dental Journal.