Effects of Electronic Gaming on the Oral Health of Children

Objective: The objective was to investigate whether there is a correlation between playing electronic games and caries scores in children aged 12-17 years old. Hypothesis: The hypothesis was that children aged 12-17 years old who spend more time on electronic gaming have higher decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) scores. Methods: Patients aged 12-17 years old from the University of Illinois Chicago Pediatric Dentistry clinics and Apple Dental Care clinics in Chicago, Illinois were screened for eligibility to participate in the study. A total of 130 subjects were included in the study. A 15-question questionnaire was administered to each participant consisting of (1) questions regarding demographics and gaming history, and (2) Pontes’ Internet Gaming Disorder Scale—Short Form (IGDS9-SF). Each participant’s DMFT score was recorded. Collected data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Results: Females overall had higher DMFT scores than males, but the correlation with gaming was insignificant. Weak negative correlations were identified between DMFT score and each of the following: (i) preoccupation with gaming behavior, (ii) the need to increase gaming time to achieve pleasure or satisfaction, and (iii) systematic failure to stop or to control gaming. There was no significant correlation between DMFT score and the total score from responses to the Pontes’ IGDS9-SF questionnaire, or between DMFT score and the amount of time spent per week on electronic gaming, or between DMFT score and the number of years gaming. Conclusions: More time on electronic gaming is not associated with higher caries scores in children aged 12-17 years old. Future research should explore other behavioral concomitant outcome variables.