Improving Oral Health With Serious Games

Gingivitis Clinical Trial

— AOTSM  

Official title:

Improving Oral Health With Serious Games

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02027597
• Other study ID #: 35095-EB
• Secondary ID: 5R44DE019043-02
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: January 2, 2014
• Last updated: January 3, 2014
• Start date: October 2008
• Est. completion date: August 2011

Study information

• Verified date: January 2014
• Source: University of Washington
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 161
• Est. completion date: August 2011
• Est. primary completion date: December 2010
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 8 Years to 12 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

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.

Exclusion Criteria:

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Subject), Primary Purpose: Prevention

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Caries
• Cavities
• Gingivitis
• Tooth Decay

Intervention

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

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Firsthand Technology Inc.	Seattle	Washington

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Washington	National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Oral health literacy	we assessed children's oral health knowledge in two ways. First, children reported their overall oral health knowledge using three-point rating scales (=not really to 3=mostly) to respond to six items, including, "By brushing and flossing my teeth, I am less susceptible to tooth decay." Negatively worded items were reverse-coded, and the estimated internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the pre-game survey was.49. Second, children indicated their brushing knowledge using five-point rating scales (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) to respond to four items, including "Tooth brushing gets rid of bad breath."	8 months post treatment	No
Primary	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	No
Secondary	Self-care behavior	Separate surveys of children and their parents were conducted at 3 points after the intervention all groups. The survey included questions about how often and how well the children took care of their teeth.	8 months post treatment	Yes

External Links

•   Mobile app to conduct caries risk assessments and educate patients about the causes of caries. Created by Firsthand Technology and UCSF School of Dentistry. Incorporates graphics and video from Attack of the S. Mutans!
•   Project web site describing the study. Can view video and content from Attack of the S. Mutans!
•   Web site for Firsthand Technology, creators of Attack of the S. Mutans!