Chi Publishes Protocol in Contemporary Clinical Trials for App-Based Intervention to Improve Toothbrushing in Autistic Children and Adolescents
Posted: 2026-10-23 12:30:54 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Donald Chi (Oral Health Sciences) and co-authors recently published a study protocol in Contemporary Clinical Trials titled, “Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of an App-Based Intervention to Improve Toothbrushing Skills and Habits in Autistic Children and Adolescents.” Autistic children and teens face an elevated risk of tooth decay, in part due to difficulties maintaining daily toothbrushing routines, yet few sociobehavioral interventions exist to support oral health in this population. The study describes a two-arm randomized controlled trial that will enroll 270 autistic children and teens, ages 8 to 17, along with their caregivers, to test Brush Up, a mobile app that uses Video Self Modeling alongside a health education module, digital screen mirror, cartoon role model, and autism-friendly features, against an active control app, Brush Down. Over three months of twice-daily use, the trial will compare toothbrushing outcomes between the two groups, with the primary outcome measuring the proportion of tooth surfaces brushed per episode, and secondary outcomes capturing brushing duration and frequency. As one of the first randomized controlled trials to evaluate a mobile app-based intervention tailored specifically for autistic children and teens, the study is expected to generate novel insights into how apps can support habit formation in this population. The protocol can be found here. Congratulations Dr. Chi and team!
Date: 11/02/2026