Assessment of the Need for a Mobile Application to Monitor Orthodontic Treatment

Objective: This study aims to assess the awareness and perceived need for mobile applications to monitor orthodontic treatment among patients at the orthodontics department of the dental treatment and consultation centre (CCTD) at the Ibn Rochd university hospital in Casablanca. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 157 participants. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire in Moroccan Arabic, which included sections on participants’ demographics, orthodontic experience, smartphone usage, and awareness of orthodontic content on mobile platforms. The survey also assessed the perceived need for a mobile application to monitor orthodontic treatment. Results: Of the 157 participants, 56.86% (89 participants) reported awareness of orthodontic content available on mobile applications or social media, with Google being the most frequently used platform for information retrieval. Regarding the perceived usefulness of the information encountered, 74.15% of participants considered it useful, while 17.97% found it very useful. Notably, only 4.46% of participants were aware of existing orthodontic mobile applications. Despite this limited awareness, 89.81% of respondents expressed strong interest in the development of a Moroccan orthodontic mobile application in Darija (Moroccan Arabic dialect). Discussion and Conclusion: This study underscores the potential benefits of orthodontic mobile applications (OMA) in enhancing patient engagement and adherence to treatment protocols. While awareness of such applications remains limited, there is a significant demand for a culturally tailored app in Moroccan Arabic. Future research should focus on evaluating the usability and clinical effectiveness of such applications to further enhance orthodontic care delivery and improve patient outcomes.