Abstract:

We are writing to inform dental practitioners and patients about the creation of the mobile educational game Tooth Stars, developed to improve oral health in children. This digital product was created as part of a doctoral dissertation focused on game-based approaches in dental health education, with an emphasis on modern digital technologies.
The use of games in children’s education is well-known and has proven effective over the years. In today’s world, mobile devices—smartphones, tablets, and laptops — are widely used by people, including children. This presents an opportunity to utilize these technologies for educational purposes. Thus emerged the concept of so-called “serious games”—“games designed to entertain players while educating, training, or changing their behavior” (2). Educational games are a type of serious game. The advantage of learning through electronic games lies in the learner’s ability to choose the most convenient time of day to engage with the material. Games also allow for better adaptation to individual learning pace and cognitive capabilities. They represent a form of interactive teaching and are more illustrative than traditional methods (3), enabling continuous progress tracking and control through immediate feedback. Video games engage multiple senses, stimulate existing knowledge, provide real-time responses, and encourage active participation in solving problem-based situations (1). Studies have shown that games in education—especially serious games—can be at least as effective as traditional teaching methods, while providing a higher level of learner satisfaction and motivation (4).