ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020
The Effects of Gamification and Oral Self-Care on Oral Hygiene in Children: Systematic Search in App Stores and Evaluation of Apps.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- A Review of Mortality Risk Prediction Models in Smartphone Applications.Journal of medical systems · 2021Pooled it
- Conceptual Ambiguity Surrounding Gamification and Serious Games in Health Care: Literature Review and Development of Game-Based Intervention Reporting Guidelines (GAMING).Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of a gamified oral health promotion app-happy teeth- in schoolchildren: a randomized controlled trial.BMC oral health · 2025Trial
- Evaluating the Impact of an mHealth Platform for Managing Acute Postoperative Dental Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Trial
- Development and evaluation of a gamified smart phone mobile health application for oral health promotion in early childhood: a randomized controlled trial.BMC oral health · 2021Trial
- Effect of Continuous Nursing Based on IKAP Theory on Periodontal Indicators and Self-Management Ability of Patients With Periodontal Disease.International dental journal · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of Mobile Health Applications Compared to Conventional Motivational Interviewing in Improving Toothbrushing Duration and Its Impact on Dental Caries Among 6-12-year-old Children: 12-month Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry · 2026Article
- Advancing dental education with technology: The integration of smartphone applications in endodontics-A narrative review.International endodontic journal · 2026Review
- The era of "Infectious Diseases+" has arrived: multi-disciplinary integration in pediatric infectious disease prevention and control.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- The Impact of Mobile Applications on Improving Oral Hygiene Knowledge and Skills of Adolescents: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Quality Evaluating Mobile Health Apps for Oral Hygiene Management Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS): A Systematic Review of Smartphone App Markets.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025Review
- Parental perceptions of an oral health promotion program in early childhood education and care settings: A qualitative study.Journal of public health dentistry · 2024Article
- Nutrition Management Miniprograms in WeChat: Evaluation of Functionality and Quality.JMIR human factors · 2024Observational
- Gamification and Oral Health in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review.Interactive journal of medical research · 2024Article
- Parent and clinician perceptions and recommendations on a pediatric cancer pain management app: A qualitative co-design study.PLOS digital health · 2023Article
- Smartphone Applications in Dentistry: A Scoping Review.Dentistry journal · 2023Article
- App-based oral health promotion interventions on modifiable risk factors associated with early childhood caries: A systematic review.Frontiers in oral health · 2023Review
- COVID-19 Related Information on Pediatric Dental Care including the Use of Teledentistry: A Narrative Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Effectiveness of a Visual Interactive Game on Oral Hygiene Knowledge, Practices, and Clinical Parameters among Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPoor oral hygiene is a great public health problem worldwide. Oral health care education is a public health priority as the maintenance of oral hygiene is integral to overall health. Maintaining optimal oral hygiene among children is challenging and can be supported by using relevant motivational approaches.
objectiveThe primary aim of this study was to identify mobile smartphone apps that include gamification features focused on motivating children to learn, perform, and maintain optimal oral hygiene.
methodsWe searched six online app stores using four search terms ("oral hygiene game," "oral hygiene gamification," "oral hygiene brush game," and "oral hygiene brush gamification"). We identified gamification features, identified whether apps were consistent with evidence-based dentistry, performed a quality appraisal with the Mobile App Rating Scale user version (uMARS), and quantified behavior scores (Behavior Change score, uMARS score, and Coventry, Aberdeen, and London-Refined [CALO-RE] score) using three different instruments that measure behavior change.
resultsOf 612 potentially relevant apps included in the analysis, 17 met the inclusion criteria. On average, apps included 6.87 (SD 4.18) out of 31 possible gamification features. The most frequently used gamification features were time pressure (16/17, 94%), virtual characters (14/17, 82%), and fantasy (13/17, 76%). The most common oral hygiene evidence-based recommendation was brushing time (2-3 minutes), which was identified in 94% (16/17) of apps. The overall mean uMARS score for app quality was high (4.30, SD 0.36), with good mean subjective quality (3.79, SD 0.71) and perceived impact (3.58, SD 0.44). Sufficient behavior change techniques based on three taxonomies were detected in each app.
conclusionsThe majority of the analyzed oral hygiene apps included gamification features and behavior change techniques to perform and maintain oral hygiene in children. Overall, the apps contained some educational content consistent with evidence-based dentistry and high-quality background for oral self-care in children; however, there is scope for improvement.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.