ArticleJMIR formative research2023
Reducing Dental Anxiety in Children Using a Mobile Health App: Usability and User Experience Study.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital behavior management in pediatric dentistry: a bibliometric analysis (2000-2025).The Saudi dental journal · 2026Article
- Impact of Mobile Oral Health Applications on Pediatric Dental Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2026Review
- Perspectives of Frontline Clinicians and End-Line Users on Smartphone-Based Photography for Assessing Traumatic Dental Injuries: Focus Group Interview Study and Thematic Analysis.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of Thumb Sleeve Distraction and Pop-It Therapeutic Play in Reducing Dental Anxiety and Pain in Children Aged 4-6 Years Undergoing Mandibular Alveolar Nerve Block: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of dentistry · 2026Article
- Effect of Personalized AI-Generated Picture Books on Anxiety During First Dental Visits in Young Children: Two Case Reports.Case reports in dentistry · 2026Article
- Interdisciplinary Management of White Coat Hypertension in Geriatric Oral Surgery: Case Report.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of intraoral mobile photography for oral health screening in children: a pilot study.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Are technological contributions in behavior guidance techniques superior to conventional methods?: Effects on dental anxiety and pain perception.BMC oral health · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDentistry interventions cause common anxiety and fear problems in children (6-11 years), and according to scientific evidence, this causes a decrease in their quality of life. Therapies mediated by IT-based tools have been shown to positively influence children's mood based on distraction as well as relaxing activities, but there is no evidence of their use to reduce dental anxiety in children.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to answer the following research question: Does our new children-centered codesign methodology contribute to achieving a usable mobile-based product with a highly scored user experience?
methodsA mobile health app was developed to reduce dental anxiety in children using rapid application development following the usage-centered design methodology. Structured interviews were conducted to test the usability and user experience of the app prototype among 40 children (n=20, 50%, boys and n=20, 50%, girls; age 6-11 years) using a children-adapted questionnaire and the 7-point Single Ease Question rating scale. The Smiley Faces Program-Revised questionnaire was used to assess the level of dental anxiety in participants.
resultsThere were no significant differences between girls and boys. The task completion rate was 95% (n=19) for children aged 6-8 years (group 1) and 100% (n=20) for children aged 9-11 years (group 2). Group 1 found watching the relaxing video (task C) to be the easiest, followed by playing a video minigame (task B) and watching the narrative (task A). Group 2 found task C to be the easiest, followed by task A and then task B. The average time spent on the different types of tasks was similar in both age groups. Most of the children in both age groups were happy with the app and found it funny. All children thought that having the app in the waiting room during a dental visit would be useful.
conclusionsThe findings confirmed that the app is usable and provides an excellent user experience. Our children-adapted methodology contributes to achieving usable mobile-based products for children with a highly scored user experience.
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