NIH grant to fund oral-health computer game

NIH grant to fund oral-health computer game

Firsthand Technology has received a $3.4 million Small Business Initiative Research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research the effectiveness of interactive computer games to change the oral health habits of children, according to the company.

Firsthand and the department of dental public health sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle are developing a multiplayer, stereoscopic 3D action game to engage children ages 8-12 in the world of bacteria and biofilms with the goal of improving oral health habits. The game will be offered in both English and Spanish.

"There is a whole world in kids' mouths that they know almost nothing about," said Ari Hollander, CEO, technical director, and principal investigator at Firsthand, in a press release. "We have new information and new and exciting science on the dynamics of tooth decay and its prevention. But we're not just trying to teach kids about this -- we believe our immersive game will change their behavior. We are using our experience in virtual reality and game design to create a game that meshes the physicality of the Wii with the engagement of stereoscopic 3D movies."

The game will be the centerpiece of a hands-on, interactive museum exhibit with its public debut at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle in early 2010, according to Firsthand. Later, the exhibit will be converted into a traveling exhibit for science centers across the U.S., as well as around the world.

On behalf of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), James Swift, D.D.S., will testify on March 18 in support of dental education and research programs before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Dr. Swift, currently the immediate past president of the ADEA and the director of the division of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, will present the association's fiscal year 2010 budget recommendations for the Title VII health professions education and training programs, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the Dental Health Improvement Act, the Oral Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Ryan White CARE Act.

According to an ADEA press release, Dr. Swift will urge Congress to provide $16 million for general dentistry and pediatric dentistry residency training grants; $33.2 billion for NIH, including $440.9 million for the NIDCR; $117 million for the Title VII diversity programs; $235 million for the National Health Service Corps; $10 million for the Dental Health Improvement Act; $17.5 million for CDC's Oral Health Program; and $19 million for the dental programs included in the Ryan White CARE Act.