Immersive interactive cartoon teaches children about dental health

A group of British dentists are studying whether an interactive cartoon can programme children to take better care of their teeth. Each year in the UK tens of thousands of children with rotten teeth end up in hospital, despite having access to free dental treatment. Young children are more than happy to open wide for the dentist, but as they grow older many develop a phobia of dentists. Decay, fillings and extractions make trips to the dentist something to fear, especially in the UK were as much as twelve per cent of children under three have needed treatment. Dentists are alarmed at the government figures which studied the health records of over fifty thousand British youngsters at that age last year. Rotten teeth is a problem too many people experience before they even make it to the primary school. Worldwide 60-90% of school children and nearly 100% of adults have dental cavities according to the World Health Organisation. Peering into the mouths of these particular youngsters has fewer unpleasant surprises for dentists here at the Peninsular School of Medicine, a part of Plymouth University in the UK's West Country. Many of the children at this paediatric dental clinic are at schools taking part in a new initiative aimed at early intervention. Professor Christopher Tredwin is a specialist in restorative dentistry. He says: "What we don't want to do is get to the children late when they've got extensive decay, they've got big holes in their teeth and they've got a phobia about coming to the dentist. That's too late to actually go and physically do the treatment for them and you have to give them a general anaesthetic which is an absolute disaster that's exactly what we're trying to avoid. So prevention, get in there early, minimally invasive and just being very simple with the treatment." The School of Medicine has teamed up with the hospital and the university to create an outreach programme for hundreds of children in local schools. They're here to see "Open Wide and Step Inside" an interactive cartoon screened inside a dome. The software was created by the university's computer experts and dental clinicians. It's been designed specifically to grab the attention of five to seven year olds. This is a key age group, usually when children start brushing their teeth independently and making some decisions about what to eat and drink, especially when they escape the clutches of their parents and go to school. The cartoon takes the children on a journey inside the mouth of a lazy giant who eats sweets and doesn't brush his teeth. He's saved by a fairy dentist who through a session of games and song teaches the children about dental hygiene. The university and medical school are planning to collate the results and work out just how effective this medium is and whether it can be tweaked to be more effective, or reinforce more messages. The children appear to enjoy their time here. Five year old Joshua says: "I remember when he said ouch it hurts." His friend Isla May Rose was drawn to the characters: "When, when, he was very funny though, he was funny." At the end of the show the children are given goody bags which are usually given out after parties, but instead of sweets and cake, these bags have toothpaste, stickers and brushes. Dentist Robert Witton says the idea was developed because of the poor dental health of children in the region. Changes in the way we eat, exercise and live can take a generation to show in a society. Just as developed nations are seeing obesity increasing among the young, Professor Tredwin says in the UK there is a sharp spike in the number of older people needing much more sophisticated dental surgery. It becomes a cycle of damage and repair. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a76485f4eae39d5ac9f387a8ce25abe6 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork