Using Augmented Reality to Motivate Oral Hygiene Practice in Children: Protocol for the Development of a Serious Game

Abstract

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: New technologies invariably open up possibilities towards new forms of action, of interaction, and of knowledge acquirement, something extremely relevant in the health education field. However, a protocol is needed for new digital means towards the use of an immersive interactive interface, both ludic and educational, regarding oral health with a preventive focus on health maintenance and a healthy development of the child, by means of Augmented Reality, activated by the user interaction with the projection. Objective: Development of an immersive virtual environment protocol using Augmented Reality for the improvement of the quality of teaching, in the fields of science and youth odontological health, making available modern content and interfaces, in order to point out paths for the evolution of technological resources in teaching and learning; i.e., a concrete tool for the universalization of knowledge and digital inclusion. Methods: A qualitative study will be conducted in order to define a research protocol for the development of a serious game that uses augmented reality techniques in order to disseminate oral health knowledge among children at school age, and its training as to the correct execution of teeth brushing techniques. During the first phase of the study, a template analysis will be conducted to identify barriers and facilitators in each scenario. Then, during the second phase, the computational process, the gestural, graphic elements and cognitive processes involved in the development of the research protocol of the interactive panel will be analyzed and delineated. In a posterior phase, after the implementation of the system, an analysis of the product efficacy will be conducted, by means of usability tests conducted with the target audience. Results: This article presents the development protocol of the instructional immersive interactive environment, using projection and computational resources. Conclusions: It is hoped that these protocols contribute to the prevention of buccal problems afflicting the population, by means of the diffusion of scientific knowledge of the aforementioned fields in the school environment, and that its replication is done by the students themselves, assuming the role of multipliers of this knowledge with the community.