Texts to parents helped bedtime routines for children's teeth, but not twice-daily brushing
Who it’s about: Parents, Children, People with a health condition
- No difference
Three short texts a week to parents didn't clearly get more children's teeth brushed twice a day than usual care.
Randomised trial of 154 parents of young children with tooth decay · vs parents who got usual dental care and advice · they rated themselves · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; numbers unreliable
- Helped
Three texts a week led more parents to report a tooth-friendly bedtime routine, like no night-time milk, than usual care.
Randomised trial of 154 parents of young children with tooth decay · vs parents who got usual dental care and advice · they rated themselves · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; numbers unreliable
The study
Who took part
Parents of 154 children aged up to 6 with tooth decay, at six public dental clinics in New South Wales, Australia. About 3 in 4 parents were women.
What they did
For 12 weeks, one group of parents got three text messages a week, 36 in all, at a time they chose. The texts were about brushing, bedtime routines and sugary food and drink. The other group got the usual dental care and advice.
What happened
At 12 weeks, about 74 in 100 parents who got texts said teeth were brushed twice a day, against 67 in 100. That was not a clear difference. About 89 in 100 reported a tooth-friendly bedtime routine, against 71 in 100. This is a preprint that other scientists haven't checked yet, and some of its numbers don't match.
Source
Co-designed SMS intervention for parents of children with early childhood caries: A randomised controlled trial (Preprint) (2026)
DOI: 10.2196/91720 (opens in a new tab)
