Using patients’ oral photographs for oral hygiene motivation promotes periodontal health: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Objectives: The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-centered, examiner-blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a personalized and visual oral health education program in addition to conventional oral hygiene education. Materials and methods: Fifty-six non-smoker, right-handed participants (aged 30.34 ± 11.46 years) without clinical signs of periodontitis were randomly grouped: the intervention group (n = 28) received a personalized visualized oral health education combined with conventional oral hygiene education, and the control group (n = 28) received conventional oral hygiene education only. All participants were assessed for improved periodontal parameters (PI, GI, BOP, and PPD) at baseline, first month, and third month. Results: A significant reduction (p < 0.001) was observed in PI, GI, and BOP during two follow-up sessions compared to the baseline for the two groups. No differences were found for inter-group (p > 0.05) or intra-group (p = 1) comparison of PPD. PI (p = 0.012), GI (p = 0.032), and BOP (p = 0.024) scores were significantly reduced at the third-month follow-up assessment in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusions: Clinical outcomes of periodontal health were significantly enhanced by the personalized and visual oral health education program applied in this study compared to the conventional oral hygiene education program. Clinical relevance: Numerous studies reported additional interventions to the oral hygiene education program. However, we did not find any published studies investigating the role of patients’ intra-oral photographs in oral care. This study’s results demonstrated that a visually aided education program for oral hygiene motivation may help improve oral health. Clinical trial registration: Registration number is “NCT06316505” and date of registration is 18/03/2024.