In contemporary society, interactive digital media, particularly computer games, have become prevalent tools in education due to their ability to balance challenge and engagement. Recognizing the potential benefits of incorporating technology into education, this article delves into the realm of serious games, specifically focusing on their use in educating children about oral hygiene. Serious games, defined as games designed with the explicit purpose of educating, offer a unique opportunity to address oral health challenges among children. This integrative review explores the existing literature on serious games for children’s oral hygiene education and investigates available applications for the Android® platform.
Benefits of Serious Games in Health Education:
The article highlights the advantages of utilizing serious games in health education, especially in the dental field. These games serve various purposes, including distracting patients during therapeutic interventions, training professionals, promoting health, and monitoring health conditions. The focus on dentistry, driven by the demand for tools in decision-making, training, and health education, underscores the potential of serious games in addressing complex healthcare procedures and promoting healthy habits.
Methodology:
The integrative review encompasses a thorough search in databases such as IBECS, LILACS, SCIENCE DIRECT, SciELO, PUBMED, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. Simultaneously, a search for relevant applications on the Android® platform was conducted, expanding the exploration to websites dedicated to computer science, including IEEE Xplore. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were meticulously defined, ensuring the selection of studies and applications aligned with the research objectives.
Characteristics of Studies on Serious Games:
The article provides insights into specific serious games developed for children’s oral hygiene education. Notable examples include “Dental Space Odyssey,” “Tooth Paste Tower,” and “I Fell and Lost My Tooth, So?” Each game caters to a specific aspect of oral health, emphasizing interactive learning experiences. The authors also discuss studies that offer a methodological perspective, such as a randomized clinical trial exploring the efficacy of oral health education delivered through a computer game.
Results and Discussion:
The results section unveils the diverse landscape of serious games, emphasizing the scarcity of educational materials focused on prevention, particularly for children. The article discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by serious games, emphasizing the need for a judicious, methodological pedagogical approach. The incorporation of haptic systems, immersive environments, and the use of familiar characters further enrich the learning experience.
Exploration of Apps and Play Store:
The exploration extends to the identification of 11 serious games classified for oral hygiene on specific websites and a comprehensive search on Play Store, revealing a total of 284 applications related to dentistry. The predominant theme revolves around dental office scenarios, with a notable focus on entertainment rather than educational content. The article recognizes the potential of serious games to serve as domestic tools, fostering collaboration between children and their guardians in adopting healthy oral hygiene habits.
Conclusion:
Despite the limited number of studies, the article concludes by underscoring the academic potential and public health applications of exploring technological resources for children’s oral hygiene education. The review calls for further research to confirm the impact of serious games on education and the adoption of healthy habits in a family environment. The article encourages a continuous exploration of serious games as a valuable avenue for promoting oral health awareness and prevention strategies among children.
