An interventional study of Remote Monitoring via Smartphone Application and Conventional Monitoring in Teledentistry, Orthodontics, Interceptive and Palatal Expansion Technique, sponsored by Murad Alrashidi. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Saudi Arabia. Open to participants aged 7 Years to 11 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-13.
Sponsored by Murad Alrashidi · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if teleorthodontic remote monitoring is as effective as traditional in-office care for children undergoing Phase I expansion therapy. It will also evaluate whether this technology can safely reduce the frequency of unscheduled emergency appointments.
Main Questions
The study aims to answer the following:
Comparison
Researchers will compare a teleorthodontics group-which uses weekly smartphone photography and clinic visits every 8 weeks-to a conventional group receiving standard in-person follow-ups every 4 weeks.
Participant Activities
Participants will:
This trial will evaluate the clinical and logistical impact of integrating artificial intelligence (AI)-driven remote monitoring into pediatric interceptive orthodontics. While teleorthodontics has shown success in adult populations, this study will focus on children aged 7-11 years, where craniofacial growth is rapid and treatment depends heavily on parental involvement.
Trial Design:
This prospective, two-arm, parallel-group, randomized non-inferiority trial will be conducted at a university-based orthodontic clinic. The study will follow a hierarchical testing structure: first establishing the non-inferiority of treatment effectiveness (PAR Index change), followed by testing the superiority of remote monitoring in reducing unscheduled emergency visits.
Intervention Protocols:
Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two monitoring modalities: Teleorthodontics Group (TG):Participants will receive a maxillary or mandibular Hyrax® expansion appliance. Parents will be trained to use the DentalMonitoring® smartphone application to capture five standardized intraoral photographs every week. The platform will use AI-driven image analysis to detect changes in tooth position, appliance status, and oral hygiene. A calibrated orthodontist will review all submissions within 48 hours and communicate with parents via in-app messaging. Scheduled in-office visits will occur at 8-week intervals. Conventional Group (CG):Participants will receive the same expansion therapy but will follow a traditional 4-week in-office visit schedule. No remote monitoring technology or smartphone-based photography will be utilized in this group.
Technical Monitoring and Safety In the teleorthodontics group, the AI system will flag clinical concerns such as loose bands or activation errors. The trial will investigate if these automated alerts allow for the remote resolution of minor issues, thereby preventing unnecessary travel for the families. Safety will be monitored by recording all adverse events, including mucosal irritation or appliance deformation, in both groups.
Statistical Methodology The trial is powered to detect non-inferiority based on a pre-specified margin of -3 points on the weighted PAR Index. Primary Analysis: An Intention-to-Treat (ITT) approach will be used, employing ANCOVA adjusted for baseline PAR scores and age strata. Emergency Visits: Superiority regarding unscheduled visits will be analyzed using negative binomial regression, accounting for treatment duration and travel distance. Sensitivity Analyses: To ensure robustness, researchers will perform per-protocol (PP) analyses and multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) to handle any missing data. Subgroup Analysis: Exploratory analyses will examine if treatment effects differ based on the severity of the initial malocclusion or the geographic distance the family must travel to the clinic.
Murad Alrashidi is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive Phase I expansion therapy with a Hyrax® expander. Monitoring includes weekly remote intraoral photography via the Dental Monitoring platform and scheduled in-office visits every 8 weeks.
Other: Remote Monitoring via Smartphone Application
Participants receive the same Phase I expansion therapy with a Hyrax® expander. Monitoring follows a standard protocol with in-office visits scheduled every 4 weeks.
Other: Conventional Monitoring
Use of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven intraoral photography employing Dental Monitoring mobile application to monitor Phase I expansion therapy remotely.
Participants follow a standard care protocol involving physical examinations during in-person clinic visits scheduled every 4 weeks. No digital monitoring or smartphone-based photography is utilized
Change in Weighted Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index
This measure assesses the clinical effectiveness of the orthodontic treatment by calculating the difference between the baseline PAR score and the score at the completion of Phase I therapy. A single blinded and calibrated examiner performs the measurements using study models or digital scans. The trial is designed as a non-inferiority test, with a pre-specified margin of -3 points.
Time frame: 12 months
Number of Unscheduled Emergency In-Person Visits.
This measure tracks healthcare utilization and service efficiency by counting the total number of emergency or unscheduled clinic visits required for each participant. These visits are triggered by patient-reported concerns or, in the remote monitoring group, by clinical issues detected during AI-assisted photo review. This outcome is tested for superiority conditional on establishing the non-inferiority of the PAR Index change.
Time frame: 12 months
Parental Satisfaction
Parental satisfaction with the assigned monitoring modality will be assessed at the treatment midpoint and at treatment completion using the Modified Telehealth Satisfaction Questionnaire (MTSQ). The MTSQ comprises 16 items distributed across four domains: convenience (4 items), communication (4 items), clinical confidence (4 items), and overall experience (4 items). Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree). Total scores are calculated as the sum of all items and range from a minimum of 16 to a maximum of 80, with higher scores indicating greater parental satisfaction with the monitoring experience.
Time frame: 12 months
Child-Reported Experience
The child's level of pain or distress associated with the monitoring process will be assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, a self-report instrument validated for children aged 3 years and older. The scale presents six cartoon faces ranging from a smiling face to a crying face, each corresponding to a numeric value: 0 (no hurt), 2 (hurts little bit), 4 (hurts little more), 6 (hurts even more), 8 (hurts whole lot), and 10 (hurts worst). Scores therefore range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain or distress.
Time frame: 12 months
Adverse Events and Safety
he frequency and severity of any adverse events, such as mucosal irritation, loose bands or brackets, and appliance deformation, will be monitored throughout the trial
Time frame: 12 months
Plan to share: Yes — The investigators will share individual participant data that underlie the results reported in the final publication, after de-identification. This may include the weighted PAR Index scores, number of unscheduled visits, and survey responses (MTSQ and Wong-Baker FACES scales).The study protocol and statistical analysis plan (SAP) will be made available upon request. Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee. Proposals should be directed to the primary investigator. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report, Analytic code
Time frame: Data will be available beginning 6 months and ending 36 months following article publication.
Access criteria: Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal and whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee. Proposals should be directed to the primary investigator. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.
Started May 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for May 2027, 12 months after the start.
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From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Murad Alrashidi