mHealth and Oral Health Care Among Older People: A Narrative Review
Author(s): Halima Sadia Hakim, Rosli T.I, Rani H and Ashar A*
Abstract
A sustainable strategy is required to help older people maintain their dental health as this population increases and is expected to increase, in addition to the high expense and numerous challenges that prevent them from receiving continuous dental treatment. Through oral health education, mobile health (mHealth) technology may help prevent and manage oral diseases. This study aims to summarise the use of mHealth in oral health care and analyse the facilitators and barriers to adopting mHealth among older people. A systematic review was conducted using the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to search for articles on Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, SAGE, Wiley online library, and ScienceDirect databases from January 2014 to March 2024. Integrating mobile health (mHealth) into oral health care offers significant potential to enhance care for older people. However, its adoption is hindered by barriers such as technological literacy and accessibility. Overcoming these challenges through user-cantered design and supportive measures is crucial. This review highlights the transformative promise of mHealth for older adults' oral health, calling for continued research and practical efforts to maximize its benefits.