UNSTRUCTURED
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate a Serious Game developed for oral prophylaxis of children concerning its impact on the user’s state of knowledge, individual responsibility, attitude towards oral hygiene, and player experience in a randomized controlled study through qualitative analysis.
Material and Methods: Thirty school children were randomly assigned to play either a dental Serious Game or a control game. Before and after playing, all children were interviewed with a predefined questionnaire. After the transcription of the interviews, qualitative content analysis was performed using a category system.
Results: Both games were evaluated very positively, while only the experimental group showed a noticeable increase in knowledge regarding caries and the use of fluorides. The individual level of game-difficulty had major influence on the evaluation and winning had positive effects on the self-efficacy of the children.
Conclusions: The investigated dental Serious Game was able to improve oral health- and oral hygiene related self-efficacy while being highly attractive to children. Serious Games may be cost-effective tools for oral prophylaxis in children. Further studies with quantitative designs examining clinical effects are needed.