An Interprofessional Collaborative Approach in the Development of a Caries Risk Assessment mobile tablet application: My Smile Buddy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Given the rising trend in early childhood caries (ECC) and the wide disparities that exist in pediatric oral health, risk assessment for ECC has become increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to describe lessons learned from an Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) approach in the planning, development, and pilot testing of an electronic interactive ECC risk assessment application--My Smile Buddy (MSB). METHODS: Five focus groups were conducted during the assessment and development phases of MSB. Community Health Workers (CHW) then facilitated MSB with 35 mothers from the local community. RESULTS: MSB was well accepted by mothers and scored well in usability and usefulness by CHWs. Lessons learned during MSB development included recognizing CHW understanding of local community attitudes regarding oral health and access to dental care and that power-sharing is required in order to create an intervention that is both engaging and accepted by the community.