Development of the StomaTele Telemedicine Platform for Prenatal Assessment of the Risk of Early Childhood Caries: A Retrospective–Prospective Cohort Study Protocol
Gulnara Zhetebayevna Sakhipova, Dinara Zhumabayevna Maratova
A
BSTRACT
Introduction:
Early childhood caries (ECC) remains a critical public health challenge, affecting approximately 530 million children globally. In Kazakhstan, ECC prevalence is 49% among 3-year-old children, while dental caries prevalence among pregnant women is 82%. In Aktobe region, 8 of 12 districts lack a pediatric dentist, limiting access to specialized dental care.
Aim of the Study:
The study aimed to develop the StomaTele telemedicine platform for prenatal assessment of ECC risk and to present a protocol for its clinical validation within a retrospective–prospective cohort study.
Materials and Methods:
The protocol envisions enrollment of 300 mother–child dyads (retrospective cohort – 150 pairs and prospective – 150 pairs). The platform integrates five key risk factors: maternal decayed, missing, and filled teeth index, Streptococcus mutans level, salivary pH, drinking water fluoride concentration, and genetic predisposition. The sample size calculation was based on an area under the curve ≥0.80, α = 0.05, and 80% power.
Results:
The StomaTele Telegram bot has successfully passed functional testing. The platform was implemented in Python using the Aiogram 3.x framework and is hosted on Yandex Cloud. The algorithm calculates risk using R = (S/10) ×100% and visualizes results via a traffic-light scale. Cohort formation and clinical data accumulation are ongoing.
Conclusions:
StomaTele is the first domestically developed tool for prenatal ECC risk assessment, implemented in a telemedicine format. Platform integration will enhance preventive outcomes and expand access to dental care for underserved populations in remote regions of Kazakhstan.