Effectiveness of a novel mobile health application in educating first-time complete denture wearers: a prospective randomized controlled clinical study

Abstract Background Effective denture hygiene education is essential for preventing oral complications among complete denture wearers. Conventional education methods may lack consistent reinforcement over time. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) application as an educational tool for first-time complete denture wearers. Methods A prospective randomized controlled clinical study was conducted among 32 first-time complete denture wearers, who were recruited using convenience sampling and randomly allocated to either a control group ( n = 16) or an intervention group ( n = 16). The control group received conventional post-insertion education comprising verbal instructions, printed leaflets, and demonstrations, whereas the intervention group received education using the Denture Guide mHealth application. Denture care knowledge was assessed at baseline and after 3 months using a 10-item questionnaire. Denture plaque accumulation was evaluated at the 3-month follow-up using methylene blue staining and digital image analysis. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. Between-group comparisons of knowledge scores were performed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and within-group comparisons were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Denture plaque percentage at 3 months was compared using an independent-samples- t -test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Baseline knowledge scores were comparable between the control and intervention groups (median [IQR]: 2 [1.75–3.00] vs. 2 [1.00–3.00]; p = 0.708). At the 3-month follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher knowledge scores than the control group (median [IQR]: 9 [8.75–10.00] vs. 8 [7.00–9.00]; p = 0.018), with a moderate effect size (rank-biserial correlation = 0.48). The mean difference between groups was 1.00 point (95% CI, 0.26–1.74). Both groups showed significant improvements in knowledge from baseline ( p < 0.001), with a greater mean improvement in the intervention group (mean difference in change, 1.13 points; 95% CI, 0.18–2.07; p = 0.026). Denture plaque scores were lower in the intervention group than in the control group, although the difference was not statistically significant ( p = 0.44). The application demonstrated high participant acceptability, with all participants reporting that the educational content was informative and that they would recommend the application to other denture wearers. Conclusions The Denture Guide mHealth application significantly improved denture care knowledge among first-time complete denture wearers when used as an adjunct to conventional education. However, this improvement did not translate into a significant reduction in denture plaque accumulation over the 3-month follow-up period. mHealth applications may serve as effective supplementary educational tools, although additional behavioural reinforcement strategies may be required to improve clinical oral hygiene outcomes.