Most people when they talk or think about dentists tend not to associate them with video games. People tend to think of less pleasant things, like drilling sounds or injections. Seldom does gaming and dentistry go hand-in-hand in a conversation. However, a dental practice in Arkansas is hoping to change all that with a new incentive for children.
In honor of National Kids Dental Health Month, which runs throughout February and is something perhaps not a lot of people know about it, Delta Dental of Arkansas has created the "Say No to Cavities Challenge." The challenge is to encourage children to brush their teeth for a chance to win a brand new Nintendo Switch. Gamers are familiar with Nintendo doing contests, but a dentist doing so is certainly a unique take on promoting oral hygiene.
The idea of the challenge, it seems, is to get children into the habit of brushing their teeth twice a day, and if it takes winning a console to achieve that, all the better. It's not just a case of brushing, either. In order to win the Nintendo Switch, children have to floss daily and track their progress in order to be in with a chance. They're also encouraging them to pit themselves against parents in a sort of teeth equivalent of a head-to-head. Of course, there have been instances in which tooth brushing has been married with gaming. Last summer, an AR app for Pokémon was announced in which children were encouraged to brush their teeth in order to save characters from bacteria.
This is certainly a wholesome contest from the Arkansas surgery. The idea of winning a new Nintendo Switch is likely to be popular amongst kids and families in general. There's nothing gamers love more than to try and win free stuff or in some cases, win a chance to be on TV, so it's likely that children in the Arkansas area will be prepared to stick to a brushing routine in order to get hold of the console.
The Nintendo Switch has been a huge hit since it was released back in 2017. Just last week, the Switch outsold the 3DS handheld console selling around 79.87 million units worldwide. Being such a popular system, it's hardly surprising that Delta Dental are trying to get in on the act by offering one up for dental hygiene. This could even spark a whole host of health companies promoting good living through video games.
The Nintendo Switch console is available now.
Source: Delta Dental