ElastoMERIT mobile application
Effective date: July 27, 2026 | Last updated: July 27, 2026
ElastoMERIT ("the App," "we," "us," or "our") is a mobile application designed to help orthodontic patients track and improve compliance with prescribed elastic (rubber band) wear. This Privacy Policy explains what information the App collects, how it is used, who can see it, and the choices available to you.
This Privacy Policy applies to everyone who downloads and uses ElastoMERIT, regardless of whether you are using the App as part of a research study or independently as part of your own orthodontic care.
ElastoMERIT is developed and published by Orthologic Technologies LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company. The App is not owned, operated, or controlled by any university, hospital, or healthcare organization. Any reference to research use of the App (see Section 12) relates only to a specific, separately-conducted research study and does not mean the App itself is a university product or service.
Contact for all privacy questions: diffeeh@gmail.com
ElastoMERIT supports three types of accounts, each with different features and different access to information:
Patient accounts are used to track elastic wear, receive reminders, view a habit-tracking calendar, take optional photos for personal accountability, and view rewards earned. Patients create and control their own account.
Parent accounts allow a parent or guardian to view their linked child's habit-tracking calendar and compliance summary, and to set up reward incentives. A parent account must be linked to a specific patient account by the patient or by entering a linking code; parents do not automatically have access to any patient account.
Provider accounts are intended for orthodontists and other treating dental professionals. Providers can view compliance summaries for patients who have specifically linked their account to that provider, enter prescription details (such as elastic size and wear pattern), and send reminder messages. Providers cannot see patient accounts that have not linked to them. See Section 10 for more on provider access restrictions.
ElastoMERIT is used by adolescent and pre-adolescent patients as young as 10 years old, in connection with orthodontic treatment that often begins in childhood. We take children's privacy seriously and comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") for users in the United States who are under the age of 13.
We do not knowingly collect more personal information from children than is reasonably necessary for the App's core compliance-tracking functionality, and we do not use children's information for advertising or behavioral marketing purposes.
Depending on your account type, we may collect the following categories of information:
| Category | Examples | Collected from |
|---|---|---|
| Account information | Name, date of birth or age, email address, phone number, account type | All users, at sign-up |
| Orthodontic prescription details | Elastic size, wear pattern, prescribing notes | Entered by linked provider |
| Compliance and usage data | Check-in timestamps, reminder responses, habit calendar entries, app feature usage | Generated by patient app use |
| Photos | Optional in-app camera check-in photos | Patient, if feature is used |
| Reward data | Stars earned, rewards configured by parent or provider | Patient, parent, provider |
| Device information | Device type, operating system, app version, push notification token | Automatically, for app functionality |
| Communications | Messages sent through in-app provider-to-patient messaging | Provider, patient |
We do not collect GPS or precise location data, browsing history outside the App, contact lists, or social media information. We do not use third-party advertising trackers within the App.
ElastoMERIT includes an optional camera check-in feature that allows a patient to take a photo as part of their daily compliance check-in. This feature is entirely optional.
We use the information described above to:
We do not sell personal information. We do not use your information for targeted advertising.
With your permission, ElastoMERIT sends push notifications to remind you to check in regarding elastic wear, to notify you of messages from a linked provider, or to alert you to rewards earned. You can disable push notifications at any time through your device's notification settings or within the App's settings menu. Disabling notifications does not affect your ability to use the App's other features.
The App includes a rewards system in which patients earn stars or recognition for completing compliance check-ins. Parents and, where applicable, providers may configure custom reward incentives visible to a linked patient. Reward configuration data (such as a description of a reward a parent has offered) is visible only to the patient and the parent or provider who configured it. The App itself does not issue, process, or fulfill physical or monetary rewards; any such arrangement is between the patient and their parent or provider, outside the App.
Provider accounts are subject to specific access restrictions designed to protect patient privacy:
We share information only in the following circumstances:
We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
ElastoMERIT was originally developed as a tool used in connection with an academic research study conducted at a university orthodontics department. The App itself is a standalone, publicly available consumer application and is not a university product; it is not owned, operated, or endorsed by any university or healthcare institution.
If you were invited to use this App as part of your participation in an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved research study, your participation in that research is governed by a separate informed consent or assent form and, where applicable, a separate HIPAA authorization, which you would have signed with the research team before joining the study. Those documents — not this Privacy Policy — govern how your data is used for research purposes, including any additional protections, your right to withdraw from the research, and how research-specific data (such as study identifiers or research survey responses) is handled.
If you are using ElastoMERIT independently of any research study — for example, because your own orthodontist recommended it, or you found it on the app store — none of the research-specific terms apply to you, and only this Privacy Policy and the accompanying Terms of Service govern your use of the App.
If you are unsure whether you are part of a research study using this App, please contact the research team directly using the contact information provided on your consent form, or contact us using the information in Section 18.
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures designed to protect the information in our care, including:
No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
We retain personal information for as long as your account is active, or as long as necessary to provide the App's features. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal information at any time by:
Upon a verified deletion request, we will delete or de-identify your personal information within a reasonable timeframe, except where we are required to retain certain information for legal, security, or fraud-prevention purposes. If you are participating in a research study using this App, please note that data already provided to the research team under a separate research consent process may be subject to separate retention rules described in that consent form, which we cannot unilaterally override.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or limit the use of your personal information, and to object to certain processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address in Section 18. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law.
Parents may exercise these rights on behalf of a child under 13, consistent with Section 4.
ElastoMERIT is not a "covered entity" or "business associate" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") in most circumstances, because it is a direct-to-consumer wellness and compliance-tracking tool rather than a service provided on behalf of a healthcare provider or health plan. However, because the App handles information related to orthodontic treatment, we have voluntarily designed our data handling practices to align with HIPAA-style protections, including:
If you are using this App in connection with a research study and have separately signed a HIPAA authorization with that research team, your health information disclosed under that authorization is governed by the terms of that signed authorization and applicable HIPAA regulations, in addition to this Privacy Policy.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify users through the App or by other reasonable means before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:
Orthologic Technologies LLC
Email: diffeeh@gmail.com