Parental Preferences for Appointment Reminder Systems in Pediatric Dentistry

Purpose: To explore which Appointment Reminder System (ARS) is most effective for improving appointment attendance in a primarily Medicaid-eligible university-based pediatric dental clinic. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, caregivers of pediatric dental patients were administered a questionnaire to determine eligibility, gather demographic information, and determine preferred ARS type. Caregivers self-selected to an experimental group (text or e-mail) or the control group (phone call). All groups received the gold-standard confirmation phone call two business days prior to the scheduled appointment. Based on ARS preferences, the experimental groups also received either a text message or email reminder one business day prior to the scheduled appointment. Results: Among 154 subject parents, 71 (46%) received a phone confirmation only, 52 (34%) received a text message and phone reminder, and 31 (20%) received an e-mail and phone reminder. 1) The receipt of a preferred ARS did not increase appointment attendance compliance. 2) Spanish-speaking caregivers were 2.7 times more likely to attend appointments than English-speaking parents p=.017, 95% CI [1.254, 10.755]. 3) Caregivers 35 and older were less likely to select text and/or e-mail p=.028, 95% CI [.884, .993]. 4) Spanish-speaking parents were 1.6 times more likely to select traditional phone call reminders p=.028, 95% CI [1.108, 6.218]. Conclusions: Additional E-mail and text message reminders did not improve attendance compared with a telephone call reminder alone. Caregivers under 35 years old and English-speaking only households showed preferences for these novel ARSs. Future studies should continue to explore how technology can be used to increase appointment compliance.