Excessive Game Playing Is Associated with Poor Toothbrushing Behavior among Athletic Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Miyagi, Japan

Abstract

Dental problems among athletes have been cautioned due to negative impacts not only on their oral health but also on athletic performance. Acquirement of appropriate oral health behavior mainly composed of toothbrushing in childhood can be one of the most important strategies for advancing children's athletic possibilities. Although habits of screen viewing, including game playing, and TV viewing have direct impacts on children's health and behavioral development, little is known about the association between these habits and toothbrushing frequency. A cross-sectional survey examining sports activities was conducted using a self-report questionnaire among school-aged athletic children belonging to the Miyagi Amateur Sports Association (n = 6,658). All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS, and P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The association between a lower brushing frequency (< 2 times a day) and screen-viewing behavior was examined using multivariate logistic models after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), studying time, and sleep duration. After adjustment for all covariates, longer game playing (> 2 hrs a day), but not TV viewing, significantly correlated with lower brushing frequency (P for trend < 0.001). Importantly, longer game-playing behavior was also associated with unhealthy dental behavior defined as a lower brushing frequency regardless of the awareness of dental caries (P for trend < 0.001). In conclusion, this is the first study indicating a type-specific unfavorable impact of screen viewing on oral health behavior among athletic children. Excessive game playing may adversely affect oral health literacy more strongly than TV viewing.

Association of short sleep duration and long media use with caries in school children

“…16,17 Another study showed that excessive game playing is associated with poor tooth brushing behavior. 18 However, the results of this study showed that caries in children was related to the media-use time, even if the snacks were adjusted for. Hence, the associations of snacking with caries may only in part be explained by the association between long media use and frequent snacking in children.…”

“…It is thought that a vicious cycle arises in which snacks are eaten while watching television and children want to eat foods with higher risk for caries . Another study showed that excessive game playing is associated with poor tooth brushing behavior . However, the results of this study showed that caries in children was related to the media‐use time, even if the snacks were adjusted for.…”

“…The Japan Pediatric Society warns that the diet and lifestyle factors of children in their developmental stages are related to lifestyle‐related diseases in their future . However, studies have only established the relationship between television or gameplaying and dental caries …”

“…14 However, studies have only established the relationship between television or gameplaying and dental caries. [16][17][18] The present study aimed to evaluate whether there are associations between dental caries in children and the SES of the family, the lifestyle factors of the parents, and the lifestyle factors of the children, including media use. Although there have been studies on the associations between each factor and dental caries, few studies have evaluated these associations comprehensively.…”

Is obesity associated to dental caries in Brazilian schoolchildren?

“…In this context, a study in Japanese athletic children showed that excessive game-playing behavior, not TV-viewing behavior, was significantly associated with a lower daily frequency of tooth brushing (less than twice per day. 42 However, the possible relationship between caries and physical activity has so far been neglected. 43 Although the cross-sectional study design is not indicated for the establishment of causal relationships, this type of study is of outmost value to estimate prevalence of the outcomes in a representative sample of the population and it provides useful data for further longitudinal investigations or to monitor oral health conditions of Pelotas' children over time.…”