Motivational Interviewing to Improve Oral Hygiene in Adolescent Orthodontic Patients

This study is being conducted to explore how motivational interviewing (MI), A patient-centered counseling method, can help improve oral health awareness and practices in adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment. Adolescents often struggle to maintain good oral hygiene during orthodontic care, which can lead to complications such as gum disease, tooth decay, and poor treatment outcomes. Participants in this study will receive brief, structured conversations focused on encouraging them to set goals and take responsibility for their oral health. These interviews are designed to be non-judgmental and supportive, helping the participants explore their own motivations for keeping their teeth and gums healthy during braces treatment. The study will take place at a pediatric dentistry clinic and will involve adolescents aged approximately 14 to 19 who are receiving orthodontic care. The goal is to assess whether this type of communication improves their oral hygiene behaviors and outcomes compared to standard oral health education. Findings from this research may help pediatric dentists and orthodontists improve how they engage adolescent patients in taking care of their oral health.

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) in promoting oral health behaviors and awareness among adolescent orthodontic patients in a pediatric dentistry setting. Adolescents often face unique challenges in maintaining good oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment due to age-related factors such as motivation, compliance, and shifting priorities. As a result, they are at increased risk for plaque accumulation, gingival inflammation, and white spot lesions. Motivational interviewing is a well-established, evidence-based counseling approach that focuses on enhancing an individual's intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. It has shown promise in areas such as smoking cessation, weight management, and medication adherence, but its application in oral health-especially among adolescents-remains underutilized. This randomized controlled trial will enroll adolescent patients between the ages of 14 and 19 who are currently undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving MI-based counseling sessions at routine orthodontic appointments) or the control group (receiving standard oral health education). The MI sessions will be brief (approximately 15-20 minutes), conducted by trained pediatric dental professionals, using a structured MI script and checklist based on established MI protocols. The study will evaluate oral health behaviors through self-reported questionnaires and objective clinical measures, including plaque index, gingival index, and oral hygiene compliance as recorded in follow-up appointments. Secondary outcomes will include participant satisfaction, perceived autonomy in health decisions, and parental involvement in oral care. Ethical safeguards include patient consent, parental consent, and measures to protect participant confidentiality. Given the low-risk, behavioral nature of the intervention, the study does not require a Data Monitoring Committee. All data will be monitored by the Principal Investigator and reviewed periodically by the study team to ensure fidelity and safety. The findings from this study are expected to provide valuable insights into how motivational interviewing can be implemented effectively in clinical dental settings to improve adolescent engagement and long-term oral health outcomes.