Text messages from a health care provider could lead to a reduction in pain intensity during the initial phase of comprehensive orthodontic treatment. (Photo: Champion studio/Shutterstock)

2013-7-18 | News Americas

The study involved 39 patients aged 10 to 18 who had access to a cellphone and received orthodontic treatment with maxillary edgewise appliances. The first group (15 female and five male patients) received structured, standardized text messages offering encouragement and concern as to the patients' well-being. The control group (ten female and nine male patients) received no text message after initial placement of the orthodontic appliances.

Seven days after the treatment, both groups reported some degree of pain and anxiety. However, the researchers observed that mean pain intensity increased and the period of self-reported discomfort was longer in the control group compared with the text message group.

Yet, the researchers did not find reduced levels of anxiety when comparing the text message and control groups. Self-reported anxiety reached its peak the day after initial orthodontic appliance placement, they said.

Previous studies have shown that pain and discomfort usually caused by initial placement of orthodontic appliances is a major reason for avoiding orthodontic treatment. Therefore, orthodontic professionals and their staff should make the patient as comfortable as possible, and one way to do this is through increased office–patient communication, the researchers recommended.

According to a report published in April by Experian, a global provider of analytical tools and marketing services, more than 9 in 10 U.S. adults (93 percent) own a mobile phone, and smartphone owners aged 18 to 24 send and receive almost 4,000 messages per month.