THE USE OF AN ELETRONIC GAME FOR TEACHING ABOUT ORAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS IN THE
RURAL AREA
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AUTHORS (FIRST NAME INITIAL LAST NAME): M. C. FIGUEIREDO , D. A. Barone , M. Garcia , M.
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Alves , V. Ecke , . M. Leonardi
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AUTHORS/INSTITUTIONS: M. Garcia, M. Alves, V. Ecke, .M. Leonardi, Surgery and Orthopedics, Federal
University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre , Rio Grande do Sul, BRAZIL;
M.C. FIGUEIREDO, Surgery and Orthopedics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto
Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, BRAZIL;
D.A. Barone , Computers Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio
Grande do Sul, BRAZIL;
KEY WORDS: Oral Health, Software, Education, Information and Communication Technology, Students
Objectives: Use playing as an extra learning strategy can bring benefits to children and also to their
parents and health professionals, who may resort to this additional resource for achieving their
goals. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of school children that live in a rural area on
the use of an educational software related to the theme of oral hygiene.
Methods: This study has a quantitative approach. The “Dentino” software tells us the adventure of the main
character, a molar teeth, that has to defeat bacterias and sugar using a toothbrush, a toothpaste, dental
floss and healthier food and its setting is the mouth cavity. The game has several levels, in which hygiene
and healthier feeding are the “tools” used to conquer these levels and at the end of the game oral health is
achieved. The "Dentino” software was applied to thirty students in the ages of 6 to 14 years old at a school
in the rural area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Shortly after playing with “Dentino” software, all
students answered a survey with eight specific objective questions about the software.
Results: All students (100%) liked the game, and 96.6% reported that they learned about oral health. After
play, all students (100%) said they feel motivated to take care of their teeth. All data were analysed
quantitatively.
Conclusions: The application of the "Dentino” software received a quite satisfactory feedback, it provided
moments of leisure and integration among students, and worked as a teaching tool and motivation for oral
health care.
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Financial Interest Disclosure: "NONE"