Effectiveness of computer-aided learning in oral health among patients and caregivers: a systematic review.
Computer-aided learning (CAL) offers enormous potential in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers. The effectiveness of CAL, however, remains unclear.



The purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence on the effectiveness of CAL in disseminating oral health care information to patients and caregivers.



A structured comprehensive search was undertaken among 7 electronic databases (PUBMED, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, SCOPUS, WEB of SCIENCE, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) to identify relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included in this review. Papers were screened by 2 independent reviewers, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for further assessment.



A total of 2915 papers were screened, and full texts of 53 potentially relevant papers (κ = 0.885) were retrieved. A total of 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria (1 RCT, 1 quasi-experimental study, and 3 post-intervention studies) were identified. Outcome measures included knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Significant improvements in clinical oral health parameters (P < .05) and knowledge/attitudes (P < .001) were reported in 2 of the studies. The 3 remaining studies reported improved oral health behaviors and confidence.



There is a limited number of studies which have examined the effectiveness of CAL interventions for oral health care among patients and caregivers. Synthesis of the data suggests that CAL has positive impacts on knowledge, attitude, behavior, and oral health. Further high- quality studies on the effectiveness of CAL in promoting oral health are warranted.
Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Prince Philips Dental Hospital, Hong Kong.|Faculty of Dentistry, University Sains Islam Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Normaliza
N
Ab Malik
Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Prince Philips Dental Hospital, Hong Kong.
Jiaguan
J
Zhang
Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Prince Philips Dental Hospital, Hong Kong.
Otto Lok Tao
OL
Lam
Periodontology & Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Prince Philips Dental Hospital, Hong Kong.
Lijian
L
Jin
Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Prince Philips Dental Hospital, Hong Kong mcgrathc@hku.hk.
Colman
C
McGrath
D017028:Caregivers; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009909:Oral Health / Q000193:education*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods
caregivers; computer-aided learning; oral health care; patients