Improving Oral Health With Serious Games

NCT02027597 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 35095-EB5R44DE019043-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 161
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigated if computer games can be effective at changing the way children take care of their teeth. We a museum exhibit with 3D virtual reality games called "Attack of the S. Mutans!" Our hypothesis was that children who played the games and visited the exhibit would show improved attitudes about oral health, which would translate into improved brushing and self-care habits. In this randomized controlled study with school children aged 8-12, we compared the outcomes for three groups: Group 1) Visited Attack of the S. Mutans!; Group 2) Experienced a hands-on classroom presentation about virtual reality being used for healthcare; Group 3) Received no-treatment.

Conditions

Caries; Tooth Decay; Cavities; Gingivitis

Keywords

video games; oral health; social cognitive theory; behavior change; randomized trial; growth modeling; minority; gender

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Self-Efficacy

  Follow-up surveys were conducted at 3 points after the intervention for all groups. The survey included questions about the children's attitudes (self-efficacy) toward oral health and taking care of their teeth. Surveys were paper-pencil self-reports from both parents and children. Items were drawn from Morowatisharifabad and Shirazi, (2007) and adapted for ease of understanding for English speaking children.

  8 months post treatment

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Self-care behavior

  8 months post treatment

Other Outcomes (1)

• Oral health literacy

  8 months post treatment

Study Arms (3)

Video Game Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

This group received the AOTSM game experience followed by additional oral health information. They did not receive any follow-up treatment after the exhibit.

Other: Attack of the S. Mutans

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Instead of playing Attack of the S. Mutans!, children in the control group attended a 90 minute classroom session about virtual reality applications for relieving pain and for therapy. This content was unrelated to oral health.

Other: SnowWorld

Video Game Treatment Plus Follow-Up

EXPERIMENTAL

Children assigned to the Treatment-Plus conditions not only had the Attack of the S. Mutans video game experience, but also gained access to an educational website that reinforced the exhibit's teachings two months later. These students received a special login and password in the mail and were instructed to visit the site before completing their next questionnaire.

Other: Attack of the S. Mutans; Other: Follow-up

Interventions

Attack of the S. Mutans OTHER

A research assistant led groups of students through the Attack of the S. Mutans exhibit. All participants played all the games and viewed all the graphical content of the exhibit.

Also known as: AOTSM

Video Game Treatment; Video Game Treatment Plus Follow-Up

Follow-up OTHER

This group experienced the Attack of the S. Mutans! exhibit and 3 doses of follow-up booster content at a web site.

Video Game Treatment Plus Follow-Up

SnowWorld OTHER

SnowWorld is a 3D first-person-shooter game developed by Firsthand Technology. In SnowWorld, the player shoots snowballs at penguins, polar bears, and other features of a frozen landscape. The game is designed to help burn victims cope with pain, and has no oral health messages.

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• For participation in the study, enrollment criteria are as follows: 1) a dentist's diagnosis of tooth decay, or restorative dental work in the previous year; and 2) Parents or guardians provide usable baseline data, including contact information for follow-up questionnaires.

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: lead
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR): collaborator
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Firsthand Technology Inc.

Seattle, Washington, 98112, United States

Location

Related Links

• Web site for Firsthand Technology, creators of Attack of the S. Mutans!

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dental Caries; Gingivitis; Coitus

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Demineralization; Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Infections; Gingival Diseases; Periodontal Diseases; Mouth Diseases; Sexual Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Howard A Rose, M.Ed.

  Firsthand Technology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Ari J Hollander, MSE

  Firsthand Technology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Acting Assistant Professor, Oral Health Sciences

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 2, 2014
• First Posted: January 6, 2014
• Study Start: October 1, 2008
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2010
• Study Completion: August 1, 2011
• Last Updated: January 6, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-01

Locations

US (1)