Abstract

Background: Oral health represents an important segment of the general health and well-being of an individual, and its preservation requires continuous care and education, especially among children and adolescents. In the modern age, the increasingly pronounced digitization of life opens up new possibilities in the field of health preservation, especially when it comes to younger generations who are exposed to technology on a daily basis. In this context, mHealth software solutions represent an innovative approach that enables structured and personalized user education, as well as the monitoring of health interventions. One example of such solutions is the Nutri mHealth application, which offers a number of functionalities aimed at improving healthy habits among children and adolescents. Objective: The goal of this research was to examine and compare the effectiveness of a digital approach in education and monitoring of oral hygiene and nutrition habits in adolescents, using the Nutri mHealth application, compared to conventional education methods that include a printed diet plan and instructions for maintaining oral hygiene. Methods: The focus of the research was the measurement of real changes in oral health, through the analysis of the pH value of saliva and the plaque index (Pl), in order to objectively evaluate the impact of different methods on improving oral hygiene.. Results: Analysis of the results showed significant differences in outcomes between the experimental (digital) and control (classical) groups, which indicates the potential of digital support in improving oral hygiene and eating habits. In group I (digital application), there was an average increase in salivary pH from 5.82 to 6.48, which represents an increase of 12%. In group II (classic approach), there was an increase from 5.91 to 6.14, or 5%. The results of the assessment of oral hygiene using the O’Leary Plaque Index showed a significantly greater improvement in the digital group (50% vs. 27.5%). The increase in water intake during the intervention was more pronounced in the digital group (32% vs. 10%) Conclusion: This research adds to the growing body of evidence confirming that mHealth tools have the potential to be a powerful resource in disease prevention and health promotion in children and adolescents. Their ability to integrate education, monitoring and professional support into a unique digital framework represents an important step towards the modernization of health education and practice.

Key words: oral health, mHealth tools, „Nutri“ application.