Table 5.

Intervention and comparison group characteristics

Criterion	Category	No. of studies	And references
MI type	Nintendo® game console	1	[70]
	CD-ROM	9	[6,8,9,66-69,72,74]
	Web-based	4	[7,65,71,73]
MI group information formats1	Multimedia only	13	[6,8,9,65-74]
	Multimedia + written information	1	[7]
Comparison group	None§*	7	[65,67,70-74]
information formats1	Written information, e.g. leaflets*	5	[6-8,66,69]
	Conventional aids, i.e. dental models, radiographs*	1	[9]
	Not reported	1	[68]
Intervention setting	Outpatient clinic	6	[6,7,9,66,67,74]
	During hospitalisation	1	[65]
	At home	6	[8,69-73]
	At school (school nurse office)	1	[68]
Time MI used	< 60 minutes	2	[9,74]
	1–2 hours	4	[7,8,65,71]
	≥ 2 hours	4	[66,70,72,73]
	Unclear	2	[67,69]
	Not reported	2	[6,68]
Intervention length	< 6 months	7	[6,9,65,69,71,72,74]
	≥ 6 months	7	[7,8,66-68,70,73]
Follow-up	None	10	[7-9,65-67,69-71,74]
(post-intervention)	< 6 months	1	[72]
	≥ 6 months	3	[6,68,73]

*Redsell, et al.[6], Eckler [9] and Runge, et al.[73] included more than one comparison group–the wait-list groups (receiving no treatment) were disregarded for the purpose of this review. Comparison group children in the study by Homer, et al.[66] were given an asthma book and played a non-health-related computer game.

^§Brown, et al.[70] provided a non-health-related Nintendo® game to children in the comparison group.

¹in addition to verbal treatment.