# Parent Education Program Lowered Gingival Index in Adolescents With Fixed Braces in 212-Dyad Trial

- Published: 2026-11-13 13:14 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: fixed orthodontic treatment, parent health education programme, knowledge–attitude–practice framework, Gingival Index, Plaque Index, adolescent treatment compliance, randomized controlled trial, BMC Public Health
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-42dc45a8d9bd92a0618610aa_parent_education_program/

**In a single-centre trial of 212 parent–adolescent pairs, a 7-month parent education programme lowered gingival and plaque indices during fixed orthodontic treatment.**

![Parent Education Program Lowered Gingival Index in Adolescents With Fixed Braces in 212-Dyad Trial](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/f1f2af9a36d08318.jpg)
*Challiyan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

A randomized controlled trial published in BMC Public Health tested a parent-oriented health education programme for adolescents receiving fixed orthodontic treatment. The trial enrolled 212 parent–adolescent dyads at a single centre and ran for 7 months. According to the authors, the intervention group had a lower Gingival Index than the control group, with an adjusted mean difference of −0.58 (95% CI −0.67 to −0.49, p < 0.001) [1].

The authors start from the observation that malocclusion is highly prevalent among Chinese adolescents. They write that treatment outcomes depend not only on clinical expertise but also on parental knowledge, attitudes and daily supervision. Many parents, they report, lack targeted orthodontic care knowledge, hold biased perceptions and have no standardized supervision habits. This is linked to poorer compliance, more gingival and plaque problems and more complications [1].

## How the programme and trial were built

The programme is based on the knowledge–attitude–practice framework. The framework was established through a systematic literature review and a two-round Delphi consultation with 22 multidisciplinary experts [1].

In the trial, dyads were assigned 1:1 to one of two groups. The intervention group received framework-based health education plus standard care, and the control group received routine orthodontic care. The intervention combined offline face-to-face sessions with online follow-up support. The assessors were blinded, and all analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle [1].

The primary outcome was the Gingival Index at 7 months. The a priori power analysis required 55 participants per group after allowing for 20% dropout. The researchers nevertheless randomized 106 per group to improve precision for secondary outcomes. Between-group comparisons used analysis of covariance with the baseline value as covariate [1].

## Results at 7 months

The Plaque Index was also lower in the intervention group (adjusted mean difference −0.62, 95% CI −0.75 to −0.49, p < 0.001). Parental knowledge–attitude–practice scores were higher (all p < 0.001). Treatment compliance was better, with a total-score adjusted mean difference of −9.15 (95% CI −10.23 to −8.07, p < 0.001) [1].

Attendance exceeded 95% across all face-to-face and digital sessions, which the authors read as good feasibility and acceptance. The programme was also associated with lower observed costs over the 7-month study period [1].

The authors conclude that the online–offline programme can be incorporated into routine orthodontic care and public health management. Limitations stated in the material include the single-centre design and the 7-month observation window [1].

## Sources

1. [BMC Public Health](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-30319-7)
2. [bioengineer.org](https://bioengineer.org/parent-education-program-improves-adolescent-orthodontic-outcomes-in-randomized-trial)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-42dc45a8d9bd92a0618610aa_parent_education_program/