Expert Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Application for Systematic Caries Management in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study.

AIMS AND

BACKGROUND

The field of mobile healthcare (mHealth) has attracted attention, and the quality of mHealth applications is also being addressed. Therefore, usability evaluation should be conducted to verify the quality of mHealth applications. The aim of this study was to conduct an expert evaluation to verify the systematic aspects and usability of a mobile application ("CAMBRA-students") developed to evaluate caries risk in children and adolescents and to provide systematic caries management.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The expert reviewers consisted of five professionals, including two dental hygienists, one professor of dental hygiene, and two IT specialists. These experts evaluated the technical issues of the mobile application using the heuristic evaluation and the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Frequency analysis was used to determine the heuristic score and MARS.

RESULTS

As a result of the heuristic evaluation, a total of 45 comments were received, of which 23 problems were extracted. The usability evaluation for professionals resulted in an overall score of 3.64. In the subscales (engagement, functionality, esthetics, information, and application subjective quality) of the MARS, the domain "application subjective quality" received the lowest score of 2.95 and the domain "information" received the highest score of 4.18. Through expert evaluation, the "CAMBRA-students" application was improved, and the usability was modified by correcting systemic and usability issues.

CONCLUSION

The "CAMBRA-students" application is expected to be used in public oral health services for students. It will contribute to improving the oral health status of adolescents using the caries risk management system.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The "CAMBRA-students" application effectively manages caries risk in adolescents and has enhanced usability and systematic quality through expert evaluation, enabling personalized oral health management. It can significantly improve adolescent oral health and be integrated into school-based programs.

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kang Y, Yeo A, Lee S. Expert Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Application for Systematic Caries Management in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(12):1370-1376.