A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of the SMILE™ Module for Improving Short-term Periodontal Outcomes, Compliance, and Acceptability Among Clinical Dental Students
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: SMILE Module, Conventional Toothbrushing Module.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Gingivitis, Gingivitis; Chronic. Basic parameters: 18 years — 24 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Malaysia
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
The Efficacy of Integrated Siwak Practice (SMILE) Module on Short-term Periodontal Clinical Outcome, Compliance, and Acceptance.
Overview
This multicentre randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the SMILETM (Siwak Method for Integrated Lifestyle Enhancement) module in improving short-term periodontal outcomes, oral hygiene behaviour, and safe siwak practice among clinical dental students. Conventional toothbrushing will serve as the control intervention. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either the SMILE intervention group or the conventional toothbrushing control group. Both groups will receive professional oral prophylaxis, standardised oral hygiene education, structured training according to their allocated intervention, and digital monitoring throughout the 21-day study period. The study will assess changes in plaque accumulation, gingival health, and bleeding on probing, as well as participant compliance, behavioural outcomes, acceptability of the SMILE module, and intervention-related adverse events. It is hypothesised that the SMILE module will effectively improve short-term periodontal outcomes, promote better compliance with the recommended oral hygiene practice, and achieve favourable acceptability while maintaining participant safety.
Detailed description
The participants will be recruited from four Malaysian universities and two Indonesian universities. Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria and provide written informed consent will undergo screening, oral examination, professional oral prophylaxis and any necessary dental treatment to establish a comparable baseline oral condition prior to randomisation.
Participants will then be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the SMILE intervention group or the conventional toothbrushing control group using a computer-generated stratified randomisation sequence. Allocation concealment will be maintained through a centralised electronic allocation system. Outcome assessors and data analysts will remain blinded to group allocation.
The SMILE intervention group will receive a structured behavioural module delivered through the SMILE mobile application. The programme includes standardised instruction on siwak preparation, brushing technique, storage, recommended frequency of use, instructional videos, supervised hands-on practice, a standardised siwak kit, and daily monitoring using the mobile application with a paper logbook available as a contingency.
Participants in the control group will receive a structured conventional toothbrushing module following the same training schedule and monitoring procedures. A standardised toothbrush kit and the study application containing toothbrushing educational materials will be provided to ensure equivalent participant support and follow-up throughout the study.
Following completion of training, participants will perform their allocated oral hygiene practice for 21 consecutive days. Adherence to the assigned intervention will be monitored using the study application or the paper logbook when required. Clinical assessments will be conducted at baseline and at Day 21 by calibrated examiners using standardised periodontal examination procedures. The study is designed to determine the efficacy of the SMILE module under controlled conditions using conventional toothbrushing as the active control intervention.
Interventions
- Behavioral SMILE Module
The SMILE module intervention is a standardised behavioural oral hygiene programme designed to promote appropriate siwak use. The programme includes instruction on siwak preparation, brushing techniques, storage, replacement, frequency of use, and monitoring for safe siwak practice. Training is delivered through the SMILE mobile application using instructional videos and structured educational content, followed by supervised practical training. Participants will receive a standardised siwak kit - Behavioral Conventional Toothbrushing Module
Participants will receive standardised training in conventional toothbrushing through a structured educational module delivered using the study mobile application. The programme includes instruction on toothbrush preparation, brushing techniques, brushing duration, and toothbrush replacement recommendations. Participants will receive a standardised toothbrush kit and will be instructed to brush their teeth twice daily for approximately two minutes throughout the 21-day intervention period. Compl
Primary outcome measures
- Change in Plaque Index (PI) [Time frame: Baseline (day 0) and day 21 after randomisation]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Change in Gingival Index (GI) [Time frame: Baseline (day 0) and day 21 after randomisation]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults aged 18 - 24 years
- Clinical dental students enrolled at one of the participating universities.
- Participants with a maximum diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis according to the 2018 Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions, without clinical attachment loss attributable to periodontitis.
- Have adequate oral hygiene (ranging from good to fair; score from 0 to 1.9 according to Silness and Löe plaque index (1964)
- Possess at least 28 natural teeth.
- Able to understand study procedures and provide written informed consent.
- Willing to comply with all study procedures, intervention instructions, and follow-up assessments.
Exclusion criteria
- Using braces and dental prosthesis.
- Presence of systemic diseases known to influence oral and periodontal health
- Use of antibiotics for the last 3 months or any medication or known to affect oral and periodontal tissues or salivary flow
- Moderate or high dental caries risk
- Severe tooth malposition that may interfere with plaque assessment or oral hygiene procedures
- Participants presenting with moderate - severe dentin hypersensitivity
- Participants with mucosa/ gingival trauma/recession and tooth wear
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- History of allergy or hypersensitivity to any material used in the study
- Cognitive, psychiatric, or physical conditions that may impair compliance with study procedures
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
Malaysia · 4 centers
- Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia — Kuala Lumpur
- Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia — Kuala Lumpur
- Kulliyyah of Dentistry, International Islamic University Malaysia — Kuantan
- Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA — Sungai Buloh
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07702383 · DD-2026-013