New Technologies in Oral Health Education, Patients Motivation, and Patient/Dentist Communication in the Covid-19 Era: The Role of WhatsApp

Background: The Use of WhatsApp for Dental Care WhatsApp is a popular communication platform millions worldwide use. The app allows users to quickly and easily communicate with one another, and its widespread use has led to its incorporation in various industries, including healthcare. WhatsApp can provide remote consultation, enabling dentists to reach patients who cannot visit the office. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Lilacs were systematically searched until 31/01/2023. In addition, a manual search was performed using the bibliography of selected articles and a Google Scholar search. It was completed, and the papers were read to assess their eligibility. All of the selected studies had and showed the possible influence of WhatsApp on dentistry; Results: 327 articles were selected. Specifically, 126 articles were found in PubMed, 11 from Lilacs, and 190 from Web of Science. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and clinical trials were selected as inclusion criteria. Therefore, six articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected; all of the selected studies had and showed the possible influence of WhatsApp on dentistry. The results showed the possible potential of WhatsApp, especially for oral hygiene maintenance, to promote oral health. It is also helpful for diagnosing various diseases within socioeconomically deprived areas; Conclusions: WhatsApp, however, is a valuable tool for enhancing the doctor-patient interaction in orthodontics. This encourages improved patient compliance and gives them a sense of the orthodontist’s concern. It is also helpful in increasing knowledge and allows greater data dissemination among dental students.