College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA.
Department of Biomedical Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, 20126 Milan, Italy.
J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2024 Jul;48(4):26-37. doi: 10.22514/jocpd.2024.075. Epub 2024 Jul 3.
Poor oral health during childhood can lead to various oral diseases and have long-term implications for dental health. Innovative and engaging oral health educational approaches such as game-based teaching have emerged as a promising modality for health education. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of game-based teaching methods on the oral health of children (4-12 yrs). Scopus, Medline and Web of Science databases were searched according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included randomised trials that compared traditional methods of oral health education with game-based interventions in preschoolers and school-age children. The quality of the data was determined using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (ROB-2). A total of seven studies that examined 1097 children (4-12 yrs) were included in this systematic review with the association of game-based teaching of oral health. The findings indicated that the utilization of game-based methods significantly improved children's oral health outcomes when compared to traditional teaching approaches. Specifically, the game-based interventions demonstrated positive effects on various aspects of oral health, including enhanced oral health knowledge, improved oral hygiene scores, and reductions in debris and plaque scores. The game-based interventions were found to be more effective in promoting oral health when compared to conventional methods of teaching, such as verbal instructions or educational posters. Based on the limited evidence available, game-based teaching appears to be an effective approach for promoting oral health among children, consistently demonstrating positive outcomes, including improved oral health knowledge, enhanced oral hygiene scores, and reductions in debris and plaque scores. Further well-designed trials adhering to reporting guidelines and using objective measures are necessary before outlining universal guidelines for best practice.
儿童时期口腔健康状况不佳会导致各种口腔疾病，并对牙齿健康产生长期影响。基于游戏的创新且引人入胜的口腔健康教育方法已成为健康教育的一种有前途的模式。本系统评价研究了基于游戏的教学方法对儿童（4-12 岁）口腔健康的有效性。根据具体的纳入和排除标准，在 Scopus、Medline 和 Web of Science 数据库中进行了检索。纳入标准包括将传统口腔健康教育方法与学前和学龄儿童基于游戏的干预措施进行比较的随机试验。使用随机试验的 Cochrane 偏倚风险工具（ROB-2）确定数据质量。本系统评价共纳入了 7 项研究，涉及 1097 名儿童（4-12 岁），这些研究都与基于游戏的口腔健康教育有关。研究结果表明，与传统教学方法相比，基于游戏的方法显著改善了儿童的口腔健康结果。具体而言，基于游戏的干预措施对口腔健康的各个方面都有积极影响，包括增强口腔健康知识、提高口腔卫生评分、减少牙菌斑和牙垢评分。与口头指导或教育海报等传统教学方法相比，基于游戏的干预措施在促进口腔健康方面更有效。基于现有有限的证据，基于游戏的教学似乎是促进儿童口腔健康的有效方法，始终显示出积极的结果，包括增强口腔健康知识、提高口腔卫生评分以及减少牙菌斑和牙垢评分。在制定通用最佳实践指南之前，需要进行更多设计良好的试验，这些试验要遵守报告指南并使用客观措施。
