Teleorthodontics Versus Conventional Follow-up During Early Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment in Children

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if teleorthodontic remote monitoring is as effective as traditional in-office care for children undergoing Phase I expansion therapy. It will also evaluate whether this technology can safely reduce the frequency of unscheduled emergency appointments.

Main Questions

The study aims to answer the following:

1. Is remote monitoring non-inferior to conventional care in improving dental alignment, as measured by the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index? 2. Does the use of weekly smartphone-based photo check-ins significantly lower the number of unscheduled emergency visits? 3. How does remote monitoring impact appliance compliance, parental satisfaction, and the child's level of distress during treatment?

Comparison

Researchers will compare a teleorthodontics group-which uses weekly smartphone photography and clinic visits every 8 weeks-to a conventional group receiving standard in-person follow-ups every 4 weeks.

Participant Activities

Participants will:

1. Commence Phase I treatment using a maxillary or mandibular expansion appliance. 2. If assigned to the teleorthodontics group, capture a standardized set of five intraoral photographs weekly via a dedicated smartphone application. 3. Attend scheduled in-office checkups every 4 or 8 weeks, depending on their assigned group. 4. Maintain a daily diary to record appliance activations and report on their treatment experience.